Child Services
by raca
Summary: Edward is separated from the Cullen family & forced into a new Foster Family. Who will take him in? Can he survive in a 'human' family? E/B maybe?
1. Chapter 1

**Dearest Readers: WELL, I have finally relented and decided now was the time to upload a story. This one isn't what I set out to write in the fall--that story is about 10 chapters long now & needs lots of work--but this idea came to me & I couldn't help but write it out. Right now, I'm not sure how far I'll take this (it may depend on the response I get), but it probably will be a rather short flick. If you are coming to this after reading my Witches of Twilight, I hate to tell you that this isn't the sequel. The sequel is in the works... but because of the changes I made to Twilight, it is nearly impossible to follow the storyline of New Moon or Eclipse or Breaking Dawn. That said--I'm not done with my witches yet, bear with me and I shall give you another story that is NB/Eclipse/BD and something completely new.**

**SO, let me know what you think of the little situation that I have placed Edward in... poor Edward, I really do enjoying toying with him & making him squirm. Child Services will be a story only told from Edward's point of view--I am not a writer to jump or change POV. I hope I have captured his mind well enough. Remember, I don't own Twilight & no ****infringement**** is meant.  
**

**Enjoy, -Raca**

*****Italic words are thoughts Edward is thinking. Bold Italics are thoughts he is 'hearing'.*****

Child Services

EPOV:

Chapter 1: Foster Family

"This really isn't happening…" I spoke my disbelief aloud as Carlisle paced the room.

_**Yes son, I'm afraid it is.**_ Carlisle's thoughts were laced with anger and sadness. He appeared at my side and rested his palm on my shoulder. "I wish there was something we could do to fix this… but I'm afraid, my hands are tied."

My anger flared again. "Jasper's broken into harder places. Why doesn't he just log into the Child Service agency and fix this?"

"Edward," Carlisle sighed, "He would, but—what with all the attention the Federal Government is giving me right now—we can not risk something like that." _**I should have stuck to Hospitals—the private practice only created problems.**_

Carlisle's mind wander off to the audit that the IRS had began. He had started his own business three years ago and now, after some remarkably profitable years (thanks in most part to Alice's stock market foresight), the government was investigating him. The family was clean on paper; we were always so careful to cross every 't' and dot every 'i'. Not even Alice had predicted what they would dig up so quickly. My adoption papers, or more accurately the fact that my adoption papers didn't exist.

At one point, Carlisle had filled out the appropriate information for the current family, but it seems that the state misplaced it. The state had all the paperwork to 'prove' that Emmett and Alice were 'younger siblings' of Esme and that Jasper and Rosalie were 'adopted twins', but there was no paperwork regarding Carlisle's adoption of me. My information had fallen through the cracks and now with the Federal investigation, the State was suddenly concerned with my 'well being'.

"The Child Services representative will be here in three minutes." Alice called from down stairs.

_**I'm sorry Edward. I promise, as soon as this is cleared up, we'll have you home.**_ Carlisle apologized for the hundredth time.

I shook my head. "I know it isn't your fault—I just don't understand why they are sending me so far away."

Carlisle picked up one of my suitcases as I took the other. We walked down the hall and stairs at a slow human pace. Neither of us wanted to rush this. We were walking on uncharted ground and I was going to have to do most of the traveling on my own. I had spent nearly a decade away from my vampiric father, but we had never been forced apart before. His thoughts mirrored my own—it felt as if we were being punished. The state was consciously breaking apart our family—removing me from them and sending me hundreds of miles away. _And for what reason?_ The answer left a sick feeling in the pit of my being. _I_ was being punished and sent away because it was the _only_ thing the state _could_ do. Carlisle's past was perfectly clean and my missing adoption papers was the only flaw they had found in Carlisle's façade.

We were halfway down the stairs when there was a knock at the door. Esme appeared at the bottom of the steps followed by a short, middle-aged man. His thoughts were nervous and scattered. He was equally confused on the why the IRS had notified him.

"Um, Edward Cullen?" He asked while he took in my assembled family.

"Yes." I responded coldly. I still was in disbelief that this was actually happening.

The man met my eyes briefly and perhaps he could sense my hesitance. "I'll give a moment to say good bye. I'll be out in the car."

He let himself out and Esme arrived at my side and took me in a hard hug. Her mind was a mess of sadness and disbelief. I dropped my suitcase to wrap my arms around her now shaking body. Silent, tearless sobs shuddered through my sweet mother's body.

"I'm not saying good bye Edward." She told me with a strong voice. _**I am just saying that I'm going to miss you so while you are gone. **_She tightened her grip on me before pulling back and fussing with my messy hair. _**Now try and behave yourself—please don't scare your foster family too much.**_

I chuckled softly and kissed her forehead. "I promise to be on my best behavior."

"He's poor foster family." Emmett said, shaking his head, but with a playful gleam in his eyes. "Depressed, brooding Edward—they are going to be _begging_ Carlisle to take you back."

Rosalie quickly smacked his head and then turned to me. _**You know I won't say it, but we'll all miss you—in a way.**_ I smiled at Rosalie's semi-affectionate thoughts. _**Just don't do anything stupid that will keep you away longer.**_

I nodded a response and Alice pounced on me. Her grip around my neck was stronger than Esme's and much more forceful. _**I still can't see the end. But I'll keep looking. I'm so sorry Edward, I'm so sorry.**_

"Alice…" I started, but she interrupted me with her thoughts.

_**I've found a way to get around their 'no contact' rule. They might be sending you away, but I'm not going to let them disconnect you from us. I promise, as soon as I know how, we'll have you home again.**_

I knew, next to Carlisle, Alice felt the guiltiest for my current situation. She believed that if she had seen this coming, Jasper would have been able to replace the paperwork before they ever new it was missing.

"Have you seen anything new about who they are sending me to?" I asked.

"No." Alice huffed in frustration, "The Child Services people are so disorganized—they haven't even figured it out yet. They found a 'temporary' home, but even that vision changes—I'm not very confident of any future right now."

I gave Alice a firm hug and the set her on her feet. "I look forward to hearing from you—soon."

Jasper and Emmett gave me quick, 'manly' half-hugs before the Child Service's man came back inside to see what was taking so long. My family followed me out the door to the porch and watched in silence as I climbed into the car.

"Okay kid." The man addressed me, "Let's go."

Sergeant Dan Gibbs struggled with one of my suitcases as we walked the steps of the Fork's Police Station. The ride from Seattle to Forks was uncomfortable and gave me little insight as to _who_ I was actually going to live with. Gibbs was too nervous around me to think clearly and so I was surprised to pull up in front of the Police Station rather than my foster family's home.

We walked into the stuffy entryway and Gibbs placed my bags next to some chairs. I glanced around the room to see if anyone was thinking about a teenager coming over, yet found no thoughts along that line.

"Wait here and I'll get the Chief." Gibbs said to me with a shaky voice. He wound his way around the desks to the only office in the back. The man behind the desk was on the phone, but waved Gibbs inside and then mouthed 'bring the boy in'.

Gibbs reluctantly returned to me, "This way."

The plate on the door read 'Chief of Police Charles Swan'. Chief Swan finished his call and stood. "Gibbs thanks for picking him up. Go ahead and transfer his bags to my car."

Gibbs nodded and gladly took his leave. The Chief remained still for a moment and watched me with discerning eyes. I grew uneasy as I tried to capture the Chief's thoughts, all I was getting was a garbled mess of words and static—like an old radio that couldn't tune in on a frequency clearly.

"Are you taking me to my Foster family?" I asked in attempts to make his thoughts focus and become clearer to me.

"Yep." The Chief's one word response did nothing to answer my many questions or clear his mind to me. We stood for a moment more analyzing each other before the phone rang again.

"Swan." He answered, settling back into his seat.

I focused to hear the other side of the conversation. "So, do we have a guest?" The person on the other end was a woman. Her words confused me slightly—_Did she mean that I would be staying with Him, with Chief Swan?_

"Yep." Chief Swan was a _master_ of words. I rolled my eyes at my sarcasm.

"Well, I hope he isn't a vegetarian, would you ask for me?" I couldn't help but smirk at the choice of wording of the woman on the other end of the line.

Chief cleared his throat and acknowledged me, "Bella wants to know if you're a vegetarian."

I smiled a little more and shook my head. _Trust me, nothing your wife could fix would be even somewhat appetizing._

"Nope Bells, you're in the clear."

"Good, cause I already put Italian sausage in the lasagna." Chief Swan hummed in appreciation as the girl continued, "Dinner will be ready in twenty."

"Alright, we'll head right out." The Chief hung up and stood. "Let's go Edward."

"So, I'm staying with you?" I asked, trying to get _some_ kind of information out of him.

"Yep." He said, eyeing me closely. _**Better be for a damn short time. I swear if he so much as looks at Bella funny I'll ship him off. I'm doing the state a favor here, but it won't take much for me to send him on his way.**_ Chief's thoughts faded back into an indecipherable hum.

Once we were in his cruiser I pressed for more information and tried to start with something rather innocent. "So what is Mrs. Swan cooking for dinner?"

The Chief looked at me in confusion. "Mrs. Swan?" He laughed shortly, "There isn't a Mrs. Swan… hasn't been for more than fifteen years."

"Oh, I apologize, I didn't mean to bring up… I'm sorry, sir." I mentally slapped myself—_First conversation and I bring up his dead wife!_

The Chief chuckled again, "Renee is now Mrs… actually, I don't recall Phil's last name at the moment. Anyway, Isabella is my daughter."

"Oh."

_**You better keep up that innocence.**_ Chief's mind fussed over his daughter for a moment before his thoughts cleared again. _**If he thinks of touching her, so help me, they'll be sending him home in pieces.**_

I had heard over-protective thoughts before, but I still found myself curious as to what Isabella was like. I reviewed the clearer thoughts I had seen of her through the Chief's eyes: brown hair, brown eyes, heart-shaped face and small build. I didn't find anything particularly stunning about her, even though the Chief's thoughts of her were only positive. The Chief brought me out of my thoughts.

"Bella does the cooking, I think she said she was fixing lasagna."

I nodded and the car fell silent again. We turned down a sleepy residential road and parked behind a rusted out truck. The Chief looked at me momentarily—apparently second-guessing his decision and then stepped out of the car. I found comfort in the fact that the forest crept up closely to the house—meaning meals would hopefully be easier to find.

I followed the Chief inside. The door opened up to a small living area. Stairs rose to the left, at the right was a couch and recliner sitting in front of a large TV. There were two doors on the opposite side of the room. I took a quick breath and instantly regretted it—the home smelled of tomato sauce, garlic and other foods that made my nose curl.

"This way kid, I'll show you your room."

The Chief led me across the living room and opened the second door and stepped aside so I could enter. He rubbed the back of his head and shifted on his feet. "I'm afraid it isn't much—this is normally my den, but I've cleared out the closet and we bought a new mattress for the day bed."

"No, it's great." I said, striving to be the polite, grateful child that I should be. I pulled my luggage in and set it on the bed. I opened one bag and my 'travel' bag fell out. Alice had been good to think of all the 'human' things I might need—toothbrush & toothpaste, deodorant, razors & shaving cream—things I would have to 'use' and eventually replace if I was stuck here long enough.

Chief noticed my bag. "Oh, I'll show you the bathroom where you can put that. Mornings might get a little interesting with three of us sharing one bathroom—but at least Bells isn't like most girls, she's usually pretty quick."

"I heard that!" A voice called from the other room. "And for _your_ information I'll be showering at night. That means only you boys will have to fight for bathroom time."

I couldn't help the smirk that rose over my lips. Chief's face match my own and he laughed softly himself. "Edward, the bathroom is upstairs, the door on the right."

I nodded and Chief Swan passed through the door next to mine—a fresh wave of human food made me decide to visit the restroom first. I took my bag and retreated up the stairs to the bathroom. I froze as I passed one of the other doors. My muscles tensed and venom flooded my mouth. _Christ—that smell!_ I didn't stop my feet as they silently led me into a bedroom. The walls were a soft blue and a bed lay at one side across from a desk and a rocking chair. I breathed in more deeply. Instantly my throat caught fire. It smelled heavenly—the most delicious scent I had ever encountered.

I growled and crouched to survey the source of the luscious smell—the human that would surely be the sweetest thing I had ever tasted. Just then a soft laugh met my ears. Chief Swan and Isabella were quietly laughing about something. The sound pulled me from my instinctual mind. _The Chief's daughter creates the glorious smell._I forced myself from her bedroom and to the restroom, as I walked I forced the monster down. I ran the water and splashed generous amounts on my face. It helped to refocus my mind.

_I am not going to attack the Chief's daughter. I am not going to kill anyone today—they are innocent, good people._ I silently cursed the government once again for sending me here. The monster inside me thrashed at the fragile cage the housed him.

_Just one bite—just a taste._

"No." I argued with myself as I stared in the mirror, "I am not a heartless killer."

_We've killed before. How is this different?_

"She's innocent. I have never wasted innocent blood."

_It wouldn't be wasted; we would savor every drop._

I growled at the mirror as I saw hunger darken my irises. "No." But the word was weak, a faint whisper.

_It is only natural thing to do._

"Killing the blameless is far from natural." I held back the beast with chains of morality, "I am not that kind of monster."

I took a deep breath and was assaulted with the sweet smell of the Swan girl. Her aroma made the beast cry out for freedom. _I only want to end our suffering!_ He thrashed and I battled against myself. Never before had blood called out to me like this.

"Edward, dinner is ready." A sweet, shy voice spoke from the foot of the stairs.

_Yes, yes dinner is to be served._ I mentally slapped myself and turned on the faucet again to try and cleanse the evil thoughts from my head. Chairs scrapped against the titled floor downstairs and I heard the Swans shuffle around.

"Should you go check on him?" The girl asked softly.

Realizing I couldn't hide in the bathroom forever, I dried my face and took a quick look around. _Make sure you flush before you leave the bathroom—they expect that._ Alice's words of 'how to appear human' ran through my head and I nodded in agreement. I flushed the toilet and then opened the door to face my temptation head on.

I made noise on the stairs as I descended to warn of my approach and took a deep breath before opening the swinging door to the kitchen. Chief Swan was seated at the head of the small table, reviewing the sports section of the Seattle newspaper. The girl, Isabella, was standing in front of a cutting board. The knife made a crunching, ripping sound as she sliced of large portions of bread. I took a testing breath of air. My nose wrinkled in disgust—human food was deplorable. Yet I found some relief in that the girl's appealing smell was overpowered with the 'food' that was laid out on the table.

I was still standing in the doorway as Isabella turned. Her eyes immediately found my own. A glorious blush crossed her face before her eyes broke away from mine and fell to the table. She shifted on her feet, glanced up at me again and then quickly to her father.

It took me a second to realized that she was uncomfortable and that I was still staring at her. Her look at the Chief became more desperate. _She doesn't want me here._ The thought was natural enough—why should a weak human want to have a dangerous killer in their home? Yet, for some reason, the thought was hurtful.

Chief Swan was completely oblivious to me standing a few feet away from him and to his daughter's pleading eyes. I cleared my throat in attempt to pull him from his paper long enough to send me on my way.

Chief suddenly looked up and around the room. "Oh." He muttered under his breath. "Edward, this is my daughter Isabella."

"Bella." She corrected rather firmly as she blushed more deeply. I gave her my best polite nod and she set the bread on the table before pulling out her own chair.

I swallowed the venom that was pooling in my mouth and followed her lead, sitting across from her. Bella reached for the Chief's plate and piled it full of lasagna, garlic bread and salad. I took another short breath; thankfully it was filled with the smells from the food and very little of Bella's or even the Chief's scent.

Bella placed some food on her own plate and then extended her hand out to me. _What does she want?_ My mind spun at the possibilities and I strained to try and 'hear' what she was thinking about.

Bella blushed again, "Would you rather fill your own plate?" She asked and started to retract her hand.

"Oh. Here." I smiled weakly and handed over my plate. Bella took it and placed as much food on it as she had on Chief Swan. _Perhaps I should have said yes._ I thought was looking down at the unsatisfying flavors that lay on my plate. _There is no possible way I'll be able to force __all__ of this down._

Having sensed that the food was served, Chief Swan folded up the paper and hungrily dug into his meal. He made an odd 'hmmm' sound as the first bite crossed his lips. Bites two and three followed the first before either were properly chewed or swallowed. _Does every human eat like this?_ I was mildly disgusted at this feeding ritual, but Bella seemed to enjoy it. A small smile rose over her lips as she watched her father's enthusiasm. She shook her head slightly before bringing a bite of lasagna in her own mouth. She blew on the steaming hunk of sauce and pasta, sending a fresh wave of food and Bella across the table. Venom flooded my mouth.

I felt a growl building in my chest. Bella's lips closed softly around her food and the fork reemerged clean. Her eyes closed slightly and she chewed slowly. I stared in fascination as the muscles of her jaw worked. Under her paper thin, porcelain skin I could see the soft muscles flex and relax. The small, slow movements were much more sensual than the Chief's. When she swallowed, so did I. Her tongue darted out to catch all the evidence of her bite and I was mesmerized. How many times I had seen humans eat before? I was sure it was thousands of times, yet never before had one made it some appealing.

"Don't be shy, Edward." Chief said, breaking me from my stare, "Bella is the best cook and lasagna is one of her specialties."

I nodded again and aware that two pairs of eyes were now closely watching me, I picked up my own fork and stabbed a piece of the red, squishy stuff. Trying to keep my face free from any repulsed or sicken expressions, I found the offensive bite in my mouth. I chewed mechanically and forced a swallow. I could literally feel the food sit in my stomach. My muscles clenched to force the foreign stuff up and out of my body and I quickly took a drink of my water to hide any gagging. Apparently my actions weren't too odd because Chief and Bella returned to their own plates of food.

There was no dinner conversation and I found myself hiding more food in my napkin than actually eating. _Well, at least I'll have something to __do__ in the bathroom now._ I thought as I looked forward to vomiting up the food that sat so uncomfortably in my stomach. The Chief quickly cleared his entire plate and rose stiffly.

"Pre-season game." He offered up as an explanation and Bella nodded as if she understood what he meant. I was quickly becoming frustrated with this situation. No one seemed capable of forming a complete sentence of any significance and Chief's thoughts were even more vague. To make matters worse, I was beginning to believe I was losing my gift because I had _yet_ to hear a single thought from Bella. The Chief grabbed two more pieces of garlic bread.

"Great dinner Bells, thanks." He said as he retreated to the living room. Soon the television was buzzing and a chair groaned as he settled into it.

My eyes met Bella's again momentarily before she turned hers down to my plate. "You don't like ricotta?"

"Excuse me?" I asked. I had no idea what she meant, or _where_ this question was even coming from.

She blushed slightly, "You've hardly eaten the lasagna—usually that means that you don't care for ricotta cheese."

_Ah, so ricotta cheese is in this 'meal'._ I quickly latched onto the excuse she gave me, "Yes, I don't care for it much." I said perhaps too honestly. I mumbled out more words in attempt to not insult Bella, "But this really is the best lasagna I remember having."

Bella shrugged and just as easily brushed off my compliment. "You don't have to eat it, you won't offend me if you turn food away. Are there any foods you are allergic too or don't really care for?"

I didn't follow her line of thinking and was momentarily perplexed as to what she actually asking.

As if seeing my confusion, Bella snorted and spoke again, "I don't want to make something you'd hate."

I chuckled softly at the irony, but then took the question very seriously. _What foods would be the worst to eat?_ My mind went to all the cafeteria food I had been subjected to. I quickly had a list.

"I guess it is mostly texture." I started, hoping this was an appropriate way to describe food.

Bella nodded, "Okay, so soft and squishy is a no-no."

_No, soft is wonderful. You are soft… and warm… and so fragile._ The beast reared its head again. I swallowed the venom. Bella rose from her seat and collected her plate. I froze as she reached for mine. I could feel the heat that radiated off of her skin. Her heart rate picked up and I could see the sweet blood pulsing faster and faster under the milky white skin of her wrist.

_Must get her away._ I took in a haggard breath and was assaulted by her glorious smell._ Get away from me, Bella._ I shook my head. "No, I'll clean up."

I was instantly standing and collecting the dishes Chief had left at the table. Bella took a half step back, her face shocked. _Good, you should be afraid. _Yet, that fearful expression in her eyes and the way her eyebrows knitted together made me want to apologize. For some reason, I didn't truly want her to fear me.

I paused to give her a moment to recover and spoke again. "You prepared a lovely meal, at least allow me to clean up." I softened my voice and face, gazing up at her through my lashes.

Bella's mouth fell open slightly. In one quick and completely uncontrolled movement, Bella spun, placed her dishes in the sink and retreated past me. I sighed in relief. I had never before been so grateful to be alone. I knew being separated from my family was going to be difficult, but I never imagined it would be like this.

I deposited my napkin full of food in the trashcan and went to work on the dishes. Twice I forced myself to stop and slow down, not only would it look odd for me to finish too quickly, but I wasn't yet prepared to leave the kitchen and go to the living room where Bella and Chief Swan sat. I needed more time to prepare myself for that.

As I finished drying the last of the dishes I heard water rush to the upstairs bathroom. I peaked in the living room where only the Chief sat. _Bella must be showering upstairs._ The thought was relieving yet sent a chill down my spine. At least it was safe to sit in the front room, what with my temptation upstairs.

I cleared my throat and walked into the room. "Chief Swan, who's playing?" I asked as I took a seat in a threadbare couch.

"Seahawks and the Cowboys." His eyes never left the screen as he spoke to me, "You like football?"

"I don't mind playing, but I'm more of a baseball fan."

The Chief turned to me with appraising eyes and then cracked half a smile. "You're a good-sized boy, why don't you try out for the team? God knows how badly we could use some talent."

I shifted slightly. _I'm sure that wouldn't be a good idea. I could easily hurt someone… that is if I even made the team. I wouldn't even be able to pass the physical—not with the lack of pulse, inability to give a blood test or even have a 'normal' temperature of 98 degrees._ "No offense sir, but I hope to not be here that long. I'd love nothing more than return to my family."

The Chief nodded and returned to his game. His mind focused slightly and I was able to capture a few coherent sentences. _**Poor kid is oblivious of the trouble his family is in. Why would the State of Alaska want to get rid of him so quickly? Damn Feds would hardly give me any information on the 'Cullens'. What are they hiding?**_

I was about to try and ease the Chief's mind about my family when a door upstairs opened. Instinctively, I breathed deeply to sense any changes and I was hit with Bella's scent. It was accompanied with a humid and heady scent of strawberries. My fingers curled around the edge of the couch, willing myself to stay still.

A flushed Bella in sweats and a ratty t-shirt took three stairs down and called out to the Chief. "Night Dad." Her eyes flickered over to me and she paused for a moment, "Good night Edward."

I gave a weak smile and nodded once before turning back to the TV screen.

"Night Bells." Chief called raising one hand but never actually turning. She quickly retreated back up the stairs. I heard a door close, followed by the distinct 'click' of a lock. I smiled to myself, _good girl, make sure to lock out the bad guys._

With Bella locked away and not invading my air space, I was able to relax and focus on the game. At the beginning of the forth quarter the Chief's breathing changed and soon he was snoring. I snickered at the sound; I couldn't remember that last time I had actually heard someone snore.

_Well, I better 'get to bed' too._ I thought of things I could do to keep myself occupied until the morning. A soft click and a few muffled steps distracted me and drug my eyes to the staircase. Bella was halfway down when she stopped and noticed my watchful eyes.

"Oh, I didn't know you were still up." She whispered over the Chief's snores. A delicious blush rose over her cheeks.

"I was just about to go to bed." I said, but didn't move from my seat. I still didn't trust myself around this fragile, delectable girl.

Bella had successfully made it down the stairs and walked over to the side table to a worn book. She clutched it closely to her chest and chewed on her lower lip. Chief Swan's snores increased in intensity and Bella released a very unlady-like snort.

"I hope you're a sound sleeper." She said while gazing at her father, "He'll make bear noises most of the night—sometimes it shakes the whole house."

I chuckled softly, "I sleep like the dead."

"Okay, well, good night." Bella turned and trotted up the stairs. I remained perfectly still until I heard the lock of her door engage and then I fled to my own room.

______

**Well? How does the first chapter touch you? Please click on the button below and give me a piece of your mind--I need it!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I think I like this pacing, at least for posting. So, the next couple chapters are long but don't actually cover much ground. This is all foundation stuff and I apologize if it gets monotonous or boring, the good stuff is coming. Thank you to all who reviewed, I have read all your thoughts & appreciate the feed back. I'll stop now & let you read, Enjoy,**

**-raca**

Chapter 2: First day of School

Seven _long_ hours later and I was itching to be freed from my cramped, stuffy little room.

At six am the coffee pot turned on in the neighboring kitchen. I took that as my cue and rose to shower. By 6:07 I was showered, dressed and ready for school. I was sitting at the kitchen table, twirling my thumbs when heavy feet found the stairs.

A rather puffy-eyed and half-asleep Chief walked into the kitchen and mutter something of a 'good morning'.

"Morning Chief Swan." I said politely.

He mumbled more and maneuvered to the coffee to pore himself a large mug full. I didn't understand most of what he said, but I did catch 'damn morning people' as he left the room and went back upstairs. The shower was soon turned on and I was reminded of another human thing I should do—breakfast.

I quickly found a bowl and a box of cereal. I poured just a little in the bowl and splashed some milk over it. Once armed with a spoon, it would appear that I had eaten. When in reality, I was going to wash the crunchy, gritty garbage down the sink.

I retrieved the paper off the front porch and read it in its entirety when the Chief reemerged. The shower, or perhaps it was the cup of coffee, had done him good. Well, at least he was able to assemble a complete sentence.

"Did you eat, Edward?"

I nodded and pushed the soggy cereal around in my bowl. The Chief poured another mug of coffee and shifted around to where he could see me.

"Paper?" I asked, folding and setting it down.

"Nope, I gotta get to work." He took a long sip and continued, "Bella will drive you to school, I called already, and they should have you registered for your classes. I didn't know if you would want to take honor classes or not, so I just put you in the basic senior subjects. Ms. Cope said she'd give you at least a week to fudge with your schedule if you need to move up or something."

"Thank you sir."

The Chief's brows knitted together for a moment and then he shrugged it off. "Yep, well, just make sure you leave by 7:20. Don't want to be late on the first day of school."

Chief Swan swung on his gun belt and jacket without giving me a second look. He hollered a 'Bye Bells' as he walked out the door. The cruiser fired up and left, leaving Bella and me alone in the house.

I honestly tired not to think about it. I tired not to imagine just how easy it would be for me to run up and finish her. _I could drain her and be half way back to Alaska by the time the Chief got home._ It didn't help that her scent, that fresh, glorious smell of freesia and strawberries surrounded me. It made it worse that her heart beat just over my head. The sound mocked me—mocked the fact that I was a vampire and she was my most desired prey.

It was maddening. I was just getting to the base of the stairs, unaware that I had made any conscious decision to be there, when a buzzing sounded from my room. Confused and now most certainly distracted, I followed the sound to my still packed suitcase. Buried deep within my clothes I found the source—a cell phone.

"Hello?" I answered the call.

"Edward, you can't kill her."

"Alice?" I was shocked, relieved and ashamed of myself all at once.

"Yes, this is your emergency phone." She spoke with rapid speed, "I _told _you I had found a way around the 'no contact' policy. This is a pre-paid and not traceable phone, but should only be used in _emergencies_. Like when you are about to kill your foster sister."

"I wasn't…"

"Yes, yes you were." Alice huffed, frustrated that I would even dare to question her, "Okay, I have to go in 30 seconds because the next wave of IRS is coming to look through paperwork, but I wanted to let you know that it will rain all this week. Sunday has some sunshine—so stay indoors."

"Anything about school?" I asked, praying that I'd have _some_ direction.

"Oh, they are offering a class on Shakespeare and are lacking in enrollment, you should sign up." Alice's voice sped up even faster as her thirty seconds came to an end, "Also, I checked with Carlisle and he thinks you could fudge a Physical if you wanted to try out for the football team."

"Is that really a good idea?" I asked, but time was up and the line went dead. I shook my head and spoke to no one, "Thanks Alice, I guess that was better than nothing."

I deposited the phone in my back pocket and ran a hand through my hair. Hearing Alice's voice had failed to lift my spirits, especially since her call meant that I was close to killing an innocent girl. I raked my hands through my hair again. _What have I done to deserve this punishment?_ I wasn't looking for an answer—yet my mind filled with them; the faces of each of my victims. _I deserve much worse._

"Edward, it's time to go." Bella called from the other side of my bedroom door. I grabbed my backpack and took one last, relatively clean breath. I was at the front door just as Bella came stumbling out of the kitchen. Her face flushed as she regained her footing. _That blush is so lovely._

I snickered as I watched Bella pulled on a black coat that was at least two sizes too big. She seemed even smaller and more fragile in that ridiculous raincoat. Bright red rain boots only made her outfit look more absurd, I smiled internally while imagining the horrified face that Alice would be wearing now.

Bella sighed heavily before reaching for the front door. We stepped out, secured the door behind us and then Bella took off in a sprint towards the rusty red truck. _Good god, does that thing actually run?_ I wiped the shock from my face and jogged over to climb in monstrosity of a vehicle. Amazingly, it fired up on the first turn and we were off (at a slow pace) to school.

As quickly as the machine allowed, we arrived at a set of brick buildings. _Fork's High School_ read the sign out front. Besides the addition of a few buildings, it looked almost identical to the high school I had attended almost sixty years ago. Rosalie, Emmett and I had attended four years here—the constant rain of the Olympic Peninsula gave us the rare opportunity to establish a rather 'normal' life here.

Bella pulled up in front of a building marked 'Office' and turned to me. "Um, we should stop at the office first to pick up your schedule."

"I think I can manage on my own." I said, rather briskly with the air that remained in my lungs. I felt Bella cower away slightly and instantly regretted acting rude. I turned to her and gave her my best, apologetic smile. Her mouth fell open and she stared for a moment before shaking her head and turning to look out the window.

"I guess I'll see you around." Her voice was quaking slightly as she spoke.

I nodded and exited the vehicle. It didn't take a second for Bella to react to my absence and pull away. I took several, deep breaths. The cool, wet air was a relief to the warm, dry air that had been in the cab of the truck. I didn't take a single breath the entire ride, I knew it would be filled with Bella's scent and I didn't need to risk her life for a second time this morning.

I retrieved my schedule and was able to change my science to AP Biology and my English to Shakespeare. I smiled knowing Alice would be happy that I had taken her advice. Biology and Shakespeare looked to be the only interesting subjects I had. The others, Spanish IV, European History, Algebra II and Econ/Government would probably provide nothing to occupy my mind.

I was currently sitting in Spanish, the room buzzing with adolescent minds. The curiosity and interest in me was nothing new—I swear with as many times I have been the 'new student' in school, that I have heard it all. But this situation was new to me. I didn't have the comfort or distraction of my family. No, instead I was the foster child who was suddenly dropped on the front porch of the beloved Chief Swan. Of what I had heard thus far in their simple minds, most believed I was a juvenile delinquent and that the Chief had taken in to 'fix and reintroduce to society'.

_**Christ, he sure looks the 'bad boy' part.**_ One curly-haired brunette assessed my leather jacket and black boots while taking her seat directly behind me. A quick calculation and I was counting down the seconds until I could be freed from this purgatory. _It will not be soon enough._

The following classes barely registered in my mind. I was coasting on autopilot, responding to questions but never really being a part of any conversation. My silent and reserved behavior wasn't doing what I thought it should. In fact, it was doing the opposite and was attracting people—especially those of the female type.

And so I found myself in the center of attention as I made my way to the cafeteria. There were half a dozen girls in my wake, mentally building the courage to ask me to sit at their table. Their minds worked in pitiful circles, contemplating their beauty and attractiveness and measuring themselves against the others. I snorted. _None of these girls know what true beauty is._ The first shallow minded girl stepped forward.

"Hi Edward, I'm Lauren." She said through her lashes, flashing a smile she hoped to pull off as 'sexy and desirable'. She didn't wait for any response from myself, but continued on, bold-faced and vain. "I thought I'd save you the stress of finding the right table to sit at. I can tell that you really do belong sitting with me."

I stopped and looked down on the bottle-blond girl, keeping my face causal but letting my disgust filter through my eyes and voice. "No thank you. I'd prefer to dine alone."

I left her there, staring in confusion and made my way to the line. I selected a few hardy items that I could stow away easily and eventually put in the Swan's pantry. I knew the Chief didn't make much and I didn't want to be a burden on him. I was already going through the options on how to 'supplement' his wages and pay back all that he was wasting on me.

Once through the line I chose a small, completely empty table at the back of the gathering hall. I had been so deep in my own thoughts that I hadn't noticed the line of girls behind me. I sat only to find my empty table completely occupied with cheesy-smiled, flushed and beaming, hormone raging girls. _This is going to be a long lunch hour._

I dug in my backpack and quickly produced my ipod. I selected the very first song, eager to have _some_ sort of distraction. The music may have shut out the rather loud questions that were being directed at me, but it did nothing to silence the deafening noise of their thoughts. I don't believe I was successful at keeping the disturbed look off of my face.

Then, just over the racket of thoughts, words and music I heard a soft, gentle flutter of a laugh. I was beautiful and authentic. I raised my head in curiosity. _Where was that lovely sound coming from?_ My eyes locked on the laugher, her checks still raised and flushed from the action. _Bella._

Her blush deepened and the smile faded as her mouth moved to capture and chew on her lower lip. After a brief pause, she turned to the tall girl who stood next to her. I removed an ear bud to capture her words.

"_Do you think he needs rescuing?"_ Bella asked softly, her eyes never leaving my own. The girl at her side shifted and glanced over at me, taking only a moment before her natural self-defense clicked in.

"_I don't know Bella, he's a big boy, I'm sure he can handle himself."_

Bella nodded and finally lowered her eyes to the floor. She didn't look up again until she was seated with her back to me. I was about to go back to ignoring my tablemates when an announcement echoed over the loud speakers.

"Attention Spartans: There is a Football meeting in the gym, all boys interested in trying out for this year's team must report to the gym immediately."

I glanced around at my table and quickly made a choice—either endure the torturous thoughts and attention of the female type or escape to gymnasium. _Well, Alice did say I could probably fake my physical… if nothing else, this meeting can save me from _one_ painful lunch hour._ And with that I rose, deposited my tray and headed across the campus to the gym.

The meeting was rather quick. The audience was mostly returning players and over-confident freshmen who believed they to be the next Forks superstar. Coach Barns passed out forms and then divided the group up for some simple drills. His eyes found mine and questions immediately filtered through his head.

_**Who's the new guy? I don't recognize this boy?**_ He scanned my height and took in my stance before a smirk rose on his face. _**Cocky or talented?**_ In one fluid movement, he took a football from his assistant coach's hands and chucked it in my direction. The boys around me reacted a little too slowly, most just ducking out of the way of the spiral. I simply extended my hand, caught the ball and then cradled in my arm.

"What's your name son?" Coach Barns asked with lifted brow.

"Edward Cullen, sir." I replied politely before returning the ball to him with a perfect, arched throw.

I didn't need mind-reading power to know his hands stung from my throw—his pained face and bright red fingers said it all. I cursed my lack of restraint—_I need to tone it down, the idea is to just make the team, not draw unwanted attention._

Coach turned to his assistant with a goofy grin on his face. "Brad, I do believe we have found our boy—let's pray he's not a trouble maker, he's the kid staying with Chief Swan."

Brad nodded and mumbled out the side of his mouth, "You know what they've been saying about this kid—he's family is being investigated by the FBI."

I rolled my eyes. They have no idea what they should really be fearful of—football can be a bloody game, players often come off of the field with all kinds of lacerations, and head wounds bleed—a lot. I swallowed my venom. _Yes, they are far more dangerous things to be worried about._

Coach Barns made a mental note to call up Chief Swan to discuss the 'situation'. I was fairly confident I could convince either that I should be on the team. After all, the Chief didn't want me spending much time at home with Bella and Coach was already salivating to have me on the team. A little pressure on one and they would persuade the other to allow me to spend my afternoons on the football field. _Now I've just got to figure out how to pass a physical._ I chuckled to myself. Vampire strength, speed and senses—and here I was _actually_ concerned I wouldn't pass a physical.

A quick scan of collected group and I found that a local doctor usually preformed the physicals. That wouldn't work for me; one feel for my pulse or a listen at my not beating heart and the secret would be out. _But Alice said there was a way for me to get on the team._ And then my question was answered as one of the returning players pulled his completed form out of his backpack. Through his eyes, I saw the garbled scribble of the physician. The player handed the form over to Coach and I watched through his eyes as he glanced down the sheet. Between the two points of view of the handwriting I was confident. I could forge my paperwork.

The lunch bell rang and I filed out of the gym with the other players. My last two classes were Shakespeare and AP Biology, two classes that I might actually pay attention in. Maybe. I walked straight to Shakespeare and chose a seat in the back corner. These students, the honor students of Forks, were much more weary of my presence and gave my seat a wide berth.

_This class is good already._ I thought, settling into the comfortable and familiar idea of being ignored. Least, I was comfortable until Bella walked in. I instantly knew it was her; the breeze from the hall wafted in and announced her scent to me. I froze in my seat, just lifting my eyes to see her standing in the doorway. Her eyes met mine as if she had felt my glare. Bella's small frame shook with a small shiver and she attempted a weak smile. I tried a responsive, polite smile, but obviously failed as she shivered again and sat in the seat furthest from me. _Damn it. This class is going to be hell._

And it was hell. My fingers curled around the edges of my desk, occasionally causing the wood to moan in protest as I flexed and restrained myself. It was far too warm in the classroom. _Far too warm._ And Bella's seat was in direct path of the constantly blowing heater. The warm air was saturated with her scent, so much so that it didn't even matter if I stopped breathing. I could _taste_ it in the air. This was infinitely worse than at the house. In the Swan home there were many other distracting smells: Chief's musky scent, the lingering smells of cooked meals, the odd balance of dust and cleaning products… there were many other odors that could divert my attention. But not so in here. I was quickly going mad. _I have to get out of here!_

The bell rang and I shot up from my seat. In movements perhaps too quick, I was out of the classroom and down the hallway. I didn't stop until I was outside of the building in the downpour of rain. I leaned my head back and gasped in the fresh air.

_This wasn't going to work. _It was simply too much, I could not spend another moment here, not another second within range of the sweet liquid. I dropped my backpack as was about to sprint into the forest when my pocket vibrated.

_Alice._

I pulled out the small phone and brought it to my ear without glancing at the caller ID or even saying hello.

Alice didn't need a greeting; she was already speaking. "Edward. Don't you _dare_ run away! As soon as you thought that I got hit with a horrible vision! Do you know what the investigators will think when you suddenly disappear? I do and it will only put Carlisle through _more_ crap."

"Alice…" I sighed, trying to find the words that would sufficiently describe what I was going through.

"No, Edward, you can't just leave. I'm sorry, I know what you are…"

"No you don't." I interrupted her as my temper flared. "You have _no_ idea how painful this is for me. I've never encountered blood this sweet, a scent so strong it seems to pull me."

There was movement on the other end of the line and Carlisle's voice came through the phone. "Edward, what do you mean it 'pulls' you?"

I pinched the bridge of my nose, searching for the proper words. "In all my hundred plus years I have never felt such a thing. I'm drawn into to the richness, the pure sweetness of her blood. Christ, Carlisle, if I hadn't been practicing restraint for the past eighty years, I would have killed her without a second of thought."

"A singer…" Carlisle's voice faded off.

"A what?"

"A singer." His voice was stronger and more confident. "I've heard of such a person, yet never encountered one. A singer's blood is supposedly the purest, most desirable blood a vampire can experience." Carlisle cleared his throat, his telltale mark that the following words were uncomfortable for him to say. "Some view a singer as a… gift, since it brings such a… pleasurable meal."

I growled in reaction as my mind pictured such a meal. Bella's fragile, warm body held close as I drained every drop of her delicious blood. I knew just how I would convince her to let me near. How easily I could charm her into my arms. I could imagine the pleasure of her blood coating my throat, erasing the burn with her life. _It would be heaven._ And then my mind shifted to the aftermath. I knew from experience that I was not a gentle feeder. The lives I had taken in my 'rebellious years' were left broken, torn and battered till almost unrecognizable. Once human blood met my lips I lost _all_ control. I cringed as I pictured Bella's wrecked body. She was so delicate, so easily broken and I was just the monster to do just that.

"Edward, we must get you home." Carlisle was speaking quickly now, "I can't imagine the pain you are in. It isn't right for you to suffer like this. I'm not sure… I don't know how, but we will get you out of there—immediately."

"No Carlisle." The words stopped in my throat. I knew I had to stay, Alice had confirmed it and—for some reason—I didn't want to leave. _What is keeping me here?_ I found words again, "No, Alice saw that me leaving now would only create more problems. I'm going to be fine—I can keep my head. I'll just stay as far away from the Swan girl as possible. I've already planned some after school activities that can keep me occupied. And I'm confident Alice is watching closely enough to forewarn me when I come too close."

Carlisle sighed, "I don't care for the situation, you shouldn't be there in the first place."

"I know." I grumbled under my breath.

"But son, if anyone in our family could do this, it is you." Carlisle's voice was warm with sincerity and pride.

_I will not disappoint you again._ I promised myself. "Thank you for the confidence. Now I must get to my final class, I think I might be late."

"Go Edward and be careful. We are doing what we can to hasten your arrival, but I am afraid the investigation is going nowhere. Alice would like to speak to you again. I will talk to you soon Edward."

"Bye Carlisle." I heard the phone get handed back to my little sister. Already her words were spilling out at an unreasonable rate.

"I'm sorry Edward. I should have given you the full picture of my vision. I didn't mean for the surprise to be this negative—I just thought some time with Bella in a classroom environment would help to relax everything. You know, make home life a bit more causal."

"What are you saying?"

Alice sighed and slowed down, as if she were speaking to someone who was mentally slow, "I _saw_ that Bella was going to be in the Shakespeare class and I _thought_ you'd appreciate the opportunity."

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "You are telling me that the last _fifty_ minutes of _HELL_ could have been prevented?"

"Yes." Alice's voice was small and ashamed. "I said I was sorry—I didn't know."

"And what of football?" I asked, now needing reassurance that she wasn't leading me down the wrong path.

"Oh, no. That's going to be great. You're right about the forgery. Barns is so eager to have you, he's not even going to take a second look at the paperwork. And I see Forks making it to State Finals if you refuse to be quarterback and insist on being a receiver."

"But I like…"

"I know. And Barns wants to put you at QB, but are you actually going to take sacks? Can you _really_ ease up on your throwing so you don't break the receivers' hands?" Alice was going irritated again as I began doubting not only her foresight but also her knowledge of myself. Perhaps even more irritating was that the second aspect was so true—Alice knew me all too well.

"I guess I could just be a receiver." I mumbled, already disappointed that my position will heavily depend on a teenage boy.

"Great! Okay, well, you are going to be late for sixth period. You can tell Mr. Banner that you got lost between the bathroom & his room and he'll let you off the hook." Alice trailed off. I recognized that she was in the middle of seeing a vision. "And… I'm warning you now, Bella is in that class and you're going to be assigned to be her lab partner."

"No." I hissed.

"I'm afraid so. Banner assigns seats alphabetically and since you joined the class today, you are on the bottom of the roster, placing you right next to Ms. Swan." Alice paused again. "You won't kill her—the back window is open and there is a gentle breeze that passes through. Sit by the window and you'll be fine."

The bell announcing the start of sixth period rang. "Well, I'm late now. I have to go Alice. Ring me if you see things getting out of hand."

"Of course! Bye Edward—Oh, and please relax and be polite. Don't want to scare your new lab partner."

"Goodbye Alice." I said rather forcefully and closed the phone.

Seconds later I was outside of AP Biology. I took one last clean breath and walked in. A quick apology and explanation for my tardiness and Mr. Banner had me off to my seat. My eyes fell on the open seat next to Bella. Her eyes followed the path of mine and down to the empty seat. It took just a second before her eyes widened in understanding and that glorious blush rose across her face. She struggled to move her books from my side of the table and in her rush two fell to the floor with a crash. I stooped to pick them up. Bella's hand shot out and brushed against mine. Electric current raced through my arm. I know Bella felt it too—her gasp and wide eyes told me such. But she didn't pull away. Her warm, soft fingers lingered on my hand for moments more as her warm eyes swept from the books up to my face. I could not recall the last time a human had paused so long on my face—at least, no one was bold enough to stare while I was staring back. Yet here Bella was, crouched on the hard tile floor with her eyes sweeping over every inch of me. I could almost _feel_ her gaze.

Mr. Banner cleared his throat and paused in his lecture. "Is everything back there alright?" He called out.

Bella's eyes fell to her hand, which she quickly removed. "Sorry, Mr. Banner. I can't seem to keep my books on my desk." She pushed her self from the floor, just barely missing the edge of the table as she stood. With exaggerated and careful movements I replaced the books to the tabletop and slid into my seat. Mr. Banner raised one brow at then returned to his lecture regarding the syllabus. Bella fumbled with a few papers and a small chuckle escaped my lips. _She's a wreck._ My laugh died in my throat as Bella turned and glared at me.

"What's so funny?" She hissed in a harsh whisper.

I turned my head towards the open window to get a relatively Bella-free breath. "You." I replied as I turned back to her. Bella's eyes flashed with fire and her lips clinched into a tight line. In her eyes I could see her processing and trying to form a comeback. _Bella is feisty._ A half smile rose over my face, but perhaps it was too much, because Bella took one look at my smile before abruptly turning back to the front of the classroom. A deep blush and an angry scowl set her expression.

I watched Bella from the corner of my eye, trying to decipher what I had done wrong. _How did she go from touching my hand and staring me boldly in the eyes to blushing and angry? Was she embarrassed? Embarrassed about knocking the books off or staring at me?_ Bella caught my stare and gently shook her head, causing her hair to fall like a curtain between herself and me. The action infuriated me. I couldn't see her face with that layer between us. I strained to try and hear her thoughts—surely she was thinking right now….

_Nothing!_

_How frustrating! The __one__ person who vaguely captures my interest and I can't hear what she's thinking._

I paused my thoughts and suddenly shifted. _Why should I even care what Isabella Swan is thinking?_ The question rang loud and echoed in my mind. _Why?_ I tried to form an answer. I didn't have one. _There is no reason to care about what an adolescent girl is thinking about—I heard thousands of adolescent girls' thoughts. Surely, Bella's is no different._

And my mind was settled. I turned my full attention—or all that needed to be spared—on Mr. Banner and ignored the girl at my side. The only change in my stance or acknowledgement of _her_ was the few times the breeze shifted and brought her tempting scent to me.

My mind was set: ignore the Swan child as much as possible and get home, back to Alaska, as quickly as possible. _Yes, limited time with Bella will be better for everyone._

**I know, probably not the best place to leave you, but the next chapter is SUPER long & has lots of progress on Edward's part. I really couldn't leave the 2 chapters attached & this was the best place to slice them up. Click on the button below, give me your thoughts & I'll get back to any of you who have questions. Also, if you have a request--something 'human' you'd like to see Edward be forced into, drop me a line. Like I've said before, I really do enjoy making Edward suffer a bit. :) Thanks for reading!**_  
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	3. Chapter 3

**An apology needs to go out to my readers, I am sorry this post was so long in making. That said, I hope you remember where our lovely duo are. They are still in the last class of the first day of school, Mr. Banner's AP Biology. Just a reminder: **_Italics are Edward's thoughts, _**_Bold Italics are thoughts of others that Edward is hearing._ **

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 3: 1st Day Continued

Mr. Banner went from expectations of the AP Biology class straight into a lecture. I was relieved for once to be taking notes—it was _something_ to keep my mind occupied until I could be freed.

Bella's hair remained between us, although I keep checking and incidentally, kept making eye contact with her. I nearly winced every time I caught her stare; it was so unnerving to not know what she was thinking. _And so damn frustrating!_

I pushed that thought away _again_ and returned most of my attention to Mr. Banner's monotone voice. I calculated the number of seconds left in class and began a count down. _Eight hundred and seventy five, eight hundred and seventy four, eight hundred and seventy three…_ My hand didn't missed a single word, stutter or 'um' as I literally took down Mr. Banner's lecture verbatim.

_Eight hundred and three, eight hundred and two, eight hundred and one, eight hundred…_ the breeze failed me again and my next breath was laced with Bella. My hand froze, my body went ridged and my muscles tensed, ready to pounce. As if to sense my lapse, Bella shifted slightly and peaked around her hair. I know my eyes were icy and hard as I stared back, but it was the best I could do. I was concentrating more on not leaping from my stool, scooping her up and running for the trees. _Relax Edward. Calm._ I felt the breeze return and I took a shallow, testing breath. It was relatively clean. I took a deeper one, relaxing my muscles and returning to my notes.

_Six hundred and forty eight, six hundred and forty seven… Will this class ever end?_

Five minutes to the bell, I tore off a corner of my notes and jotted down a quick message to Bella. It was simple and read:

_I'm going to try out for the football team. They have practice after school that I'm going to stand in on. I'll walk home after, at about 6._

With Mr. Banner facing the board, I slid the note across the desk till my hand just briefly brushed up against Bella's chocolate hair. The little contact sent tingles up my arm and I had to pull back before I was tempted to do more. Bella startled in her seat and swung her head around wildly to look at me. Her hair swept across my chest and polluted my air with her scent. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath. The fire was excruciating. _God, I want __more_. Minutes passed as I basked in the fiery, delicious scent. It was so appealing and so painful—the most curious mix. It was _addictive._

Bella softly coughed and with obvious movements slid the note back at me.

_I could come back & pick you up._ It was written in a heavy, messy font. I smirked at the scribbled writing, it was opposite of what I expected. I had pictured Bella to have the typical, loopy font of a teenage girl, complete with hearts above the 'i's. This writing was nearly illegible.

I shook my head and replied on the paper, holding it so she could see. _No need. It isn't far and I'd like the exercise._

Bella eyed me for a moment, once again staring quite openly into my eyes, before shrugging and returning her attention to the notes. A moment later we were allowed to pack up and then the final bell rang.

"See you at the house." I said over my shoulder as I passed Bella. I didn't stop or turn around, but I could clearly see Bella's confused face through the rest of our classmates' eyes. It took no time for her face to blush as she noticed that she was center of everyone's attention. I chuckled darkly at her embarrassment and fled to the safety of the football field.

Three hours later I was walking back to the Swan residence. I hadn't been able to participate in the practice, as I hadn't forged all my paperwork yet, but I was able to stand on the sidelines and observe.

Alice was right; it would not be a good idea for me to play quarterback. Forks had a horrible offensive line that broke down quickly—even in practice. They gave the QB, Mike Newton, just seconds to decide to take a sack or fling the ball up and pray that the right guy caught it. _I could be the right guy._ Although, I would be more successful at quarterback, extending the life of the play and actually making completions, I knew that with _this_ line, it would take 'super-human' abilities. Those were the exact talents I was trying to keep hidden. So, I talked with coach and quickly convinced him that I was best playing receiver—not quarterback.

Dusk was approaching as I slowly walked back. I didn't think it possible, but I was tired—mentally exhausted and thirsty from my day at school. _This isn't good. I fed only two days._ I didn't like that I felt the need to feed already, normally I would be able to go weeks between meals. _When did I get so soft?_ My lips curled back with a growl. I knew when. When Bella Swan walked in my life, smelling like heaven and instantly putting me in a personalized hell.

I ran my hands through my hair, scratching at my scalp. Pain flared under my talons, but it was a welcomed pain—so much easier to endure than the fire of Bella. I rolled my shoulders and took deep breaths, trying to relax my tensed muscles. I only had a couple hundred feet before I would be at the Swan house. Already I could hear the constant, static hum of Chief's mind. Bella's mind, of course, was completely silent to me, but I could hear her small heart beating. _Mocking me, yet again._

I pushed that thought aside as the house came into view. _Here goes nothing._ I nearly stomped up the porch steps and knocked loudly on the door.

"That must be Edward." The Chief mumbled. Springs in his recliner creaked as he stood and walked the short distance to the door. A moment later he was staring at me through the open door. His evaluating eyes took me in and I once again was amazed at the boldness of these Swans. Either they had no sense of self-preservation, or they were extremely brave.

The Chief nodded his head and allowed me to pass over the stoop. I could clearly hear Bella in the kitchen, moving dishes around. "Edward, give me a sec and I'll reheat the dinner leftovers." She called from the behind the kitchen door.

"No. That's okay, I'm not hungry just yet." I tried to sound relaxed—my insides were churning at the idea of having to ingest another human meal. "I'll get myself something in a little bit."

Bella propped the door open with her foot and inspected me closely. "You sure?"

Her forehead crinkled slightly in…confusion, perhaps. I nodded and tried a big, reassuring smile. Bella's breathing hitched oddly and then that blush passed over her face. _That's the oddest reaction to a smile._ I thought to myself. _What I wouldn't do to know what the blush means…_ Bella quickly broke eye contact and fled up the stairs.

"Well, I've got homework to finish." She explained as she took the stairs two at a time. I got the feeling she was simply trying to leave me as quickly as possible. _Yes, she should be running away—screaming._

"First day good Edward?" The Chief mumbled from his chair.

"Yes sir, relatively painless." _At least, no one is dead. _I added inwardly.

"Bella says your trying out for the football team."

"Yes sir, Coach says I can have the starting receiver position as soon as my paperwork is in." I was amazed of the length of conversation the Chief was willing to give me. I'm sure it was this was more words than he had ever said to me.

Chief nodded and a trace of a smile rose over his face. "So you'll be spending afternoons on the field?"

_Ah, so _that_ is where this is going. _"Yes sir and I'd like to put in an hour after practice in the weight room." I paused, remembering I technically should be _asking_ for permission. "That is, if it is alright with you."

Chief Swan looked me over with a raised brow and genuine smirk, "Don't bother me. Might offend the cook if you skip dinner, though."

I cringed inwardly. _That's exactly what I was trying to get out of. I don't need an hour of weight training—I won't even be able to test my limits—I just want to skip 'dinner'._ I smiled though as I heard a snort from upstairs. Bella was obviously listening in on the conversation. A grin broke through my blank façade and I couldn't resist the opportunity.

"Well, you'll save me some if it is appetizing, right?"

A confused look passed over the Chief's face until Bella came bounding down the stairs, flustered and angry.

"I heard that!" She spat as she rolled back her shoulders and lengthened her small frame. The fire in her eyes was intense—I had clearly pushed a button. Beyond the fire, Bella looked more ridiculous than intimidating. She was about as scary as a kitten. All raised fur and nasty noises, but nothing to be concerned about.

"Yeah, I'll let you know when it's edible." Chief chuckled from his chair.

Bella stuck her tongue out at her father and then turned towards the kitchen. I couldn't contain my laughter. It was big and booming. And real. Bella wasn't so amused and shot me a dirty look as she closed the kitchen door.

Chief laughed for a moment also before clearing his throat, "I'd tread softly if I were you, Cullen."

I quieted myself and scratched at the back of my neck. I _thought_ the comment was okay. _Wasn't teasing a natural, healthy thing to do in a family?_ In _my_ family it was perfectly natural—some of the members (mostly Emmett) seemed to thrive on the little jokes. _Had I overstepped a line?_

I grew weary and quietly approached the door, curious of what damage I had done to the girl on the other side. Taking in a large, clean breath I opened the door. Bella's back was to me as she stood in front of the sink, her sleeves pushed up to her elbows and her milky white skin glistening with water and suds. I cleared my throat and was about to apologize when she turned to me. Bella's face was flushed and bent in a scowl, but her eyes lacked the fire they had held only moments ago. I relaxed slightly.

"You going to stand there, or would you like to do something useful?" Her words were biting, yet lacked the venom of true anger. I smiled slightly. _It appears as if I've already been forgiven._

I carefully unbuttoned my cuffs and rolled up my own sleeves, "Put me to work." I offered.

"You can dry." She stated, nodding her head to the pile of clean dishes that was accumulating next to the sink.

I picked up a towel and began mopping up the liquid from the first dish. Bella watched for a moment, her teeth worrying her bottom lip before snapping out of her trance and returning to scrubbing a large pot. Her brow scrunched and I found myself again curious as to what was going on in that little head. _Forget it Edward—it is probably nothing new, nothing original._

Yet I didn't believe that thought. Not for a second had I ever found Bella's actions to be 'predictable'. Everything I knew about Isabella Swan was confounding and contrary. From the way she walked and held herself it was easy to see she was confident. Yet any extra attention to her and she would flush and cower away—thus revealing she was _shy_. She was an only child of a broken family. As a girl, it would make sense for her to be under the care of her mother, but instead, she was living with her single _father_. Bella wore sloppy clothes and drove a hideous vehicle. One might believe that means she didn't care about other people's opinions or that she was trying to be rebellious and reject society's norm. But her attitude didn't match those who buck against the standard and, due to her shy nature, Bella only _wanted_ to fit in. I sighed heavily:_ Nothing about this girl makes sense._

Bella turned to me. "Is something wrong?" She asked softly, her eyes pinched with worry.

I gave a small smile and shook my head. Bella paused to inspect me further. It was a bit unnerving—no, it was completely unsettling. I was not used to being inspected and _not_ hear what conclusions were made. I was discovering that I _hated_ no knowing what she thought of me. _What does Bella think of me?_ The question grated on my mind in a way that surprised me. Because truthfully, why should I _care_ as to what she thinks? I couldn't find a logical answer, but I did _feel_ one. Somewhere deep inside I was longing for the approval of this small, fragile human. _What an odd compulsion. I truly must be going mad._

"What are you thinking about?" Bella asked, her eyes staring boldly into mine. I was mesmerized by their intensity and depth.

"Nothing." I stated lamely.

"I don't believe that." Bella snorted, "You've obviously got something on your mind."

I sighed and decided to be honest. "I was actually wondering what you were thinking."

Bella looked at me from the corner of her eyes as if that was an odd thing to say. I shrugged my shoulders and tried again. "What are you thinking?"

I studied her closely, peering deep into her eyes, willing her thoughts to come to me. Bella's brown eyes widened and a blush graced her cheeks.

"I was thinking that I didn't know much about you." She said in a quiet, breathy voice. Her pulse quickened and I had to close my eyes and regain control of the inner beast. She was so close and I could so easily take her. I took in a deep breath, enveloping myself in the pain of my thirst. I wasn't aware I had masochistic tendencies, but I was beginning to enjoy the fire that accompanied Bella. _It meant I was close to her._

"What do you want to know?" I asked, my voice thicker and rougher than I wanted it to be. I cringed and opened my eyes to find Bella still staring at me. _Christ, what _are_ you thinking?_

Her eyes darted from mine, her hands busying themselves with the dishes. "Um, you came from Alaska?"

It really wasn't a question, but I could tell Bella wasn't comfortable with the idea of questioning me. _Was she just uncomfortable around me or did she not really want to know?_ I surely didn't have the answer and her mind wasn't giving me anything, thus forcing me to a 'normal' form of communication. _Ugh, I hate this._

"That's not a question." I gently prodded.

"No, not really." Bella blushed and tried again. "Have you always lived in Alaska?"

_Okay, an easy question to answer—right? _"No, actually I was born in Chicago, Illinois."

It was the truth, I was pleased that I could tell Bella the truth—it also happened to line up with this decade's 'story' of my life.

"Oh." Bella seemed mull that over for a moment, "How did you end up in Alaska?"

"My family moves around often. My adoptive father, Carlisle, is a Pediatric Doctor and he seems to be drawn to the smaller towns." I paused to ensure I was speaking the truth and keeping up our façade. For some reason I want to tell Bella the truth, least when I could. "He started a private practice in a tiny town outside of Anchorage, providing services that people would have previously driven an hour or so to get to."

Bella nodded and chewed further on her lip. _Does that mean she thinking? Perhaps she has more questions, but doesn't want to impede._ Unable to answer Bella questions on my own, I spoke up. "You look like you have more questions. Do be afraid to ask, I'm not shy."

"Yeah," she rolled her eyes and sighed to herself, "I'm sure you could tell I have more questions. Mom always called me her open book—guess I've always been easy to read."

"On the contrary, I find you very difficult to read."

"Yeah, right." Bella snorted with sarcasm.

I simply chuckled. Once again, Bella's reaction was not what I had expected. It was odd, but I found myself more and more curious about this little girl. I had told myself that surely once I had decoded the workings of her mind she would no longer hold my attention. But I wasn't making any progress—Isabella was an enigma, a complete mystery to me.

"Are you an only child?" She asked softly, a blush crossing her cheeks once again.

"No, there are five of us… kids. Two, Jasper and Rosalie, are also adopted and the other two, Alice and Emmett, are actually younger siblings of my adoptive Mother Esme."

"Wouldn't that make them your Uncle and Aunt?"

I smiled at Bella's quickness; it pleased me that she was intelligent. "Yes, but they are younger than me." _Technically speaking._ "And have always acted more like siblings."

Bella smiled. It was a beautiful smile, warm and friendly. "That's sounds nice." But then the smile faded and her eyes sank. "You must miss them."

My throat tightened and, for the first time, it wasn't due to the overwhelming scent of Bella. "Yes." I admitted in a whisper, "I miss them terribly."

Speaking the words seemed to heighten the emotion. The last 24 hours I had been very successful at distracting myself. Living with a human family had proven to demand more of my attention than had expected. But now, just speaking a few words, I was fully aware of just how much I missed my family. _Just how much of _me_ is missing._ Since Esme joined our coven only a few years after my rebirth, I had taken the title of 'odd man out', the lone vampire in a coven of perfectly mated pairs. Due to natural pairings or perhaps my antisocial disposition, I had always secluded and separated myself from my family. Yet, those six wonderful creatures were so much a part of me—more than I had ever realized before, I really _did_ need them.

"I'm sorry." Bella said, her voice soft and tender.

"For what?" I asked, completely taken aback at her apology and the way her voice seemed to soothe the rough edges of the loneliness.

"For separating you from your family."

"Yes, I'm sure _you_ are the person responsible for losing my adoption papers." I replied sarcastically. To my delight, my remark was rewarded with a small laugh. _Bella has a fantastic laugh._

"Yep, cuff 'em." She held out her wrists as if to be handcuffed. Bella's smile grew more mischievous, "Actually it was Charlie. He wants to see the Spartans have a winning record for once."

I chuckled. _Why are all my conversations with humans this easy?_ I searched my memories and couldn't find a situation that matched this. _I am actually drying dishes with a human girl. And she seems to be completely comfortable with this._ It was official—I had never encountered a person like Bella.

"One 'season changer' at your service." I smiled with a slight bow. Bella's face flushed deeper with my actions. It was a delicious look on her and heightened the intensity of her scent, so I pushed further, "And what should my first act of servitude entail?"

Bella giggled, her eyes roaming the small kitchen and settling on the trash can. She wrinkled her nose. "The trash bag is overflowing."

"Done." I smiled boldly and swept to the side to fetch the trash bag. Bella's heart stuttered for a moment, causing me to glance at her over my shoulder. _That is not a healthy reaction. Is she well?_ I caught her eyes for a moment before she turned back to the sink, her blush rejuvenated and as appetizing as ever.

The cool evening air did miracles in clearing my head, or at least it stopped the flow of venom. The images though, the mental snapshots of Bella, continued on with increased interest. _What does it mean when she chews on her lip? _I thought as pictures of her teeth digging into the plump flesh passed before my eyes. _That blush is the clearest and most frequent sign—if I can figure it out, I'll decode half of her body language._

_Bella_ was clearly the only language I _wasn't_ fluent in. _It doesn't help that her words say one thing and her body says another._ _And without insight into her mind—neither make sense! _For example: we would be conversing in what I would consider, at least with a human, to be a 'normal' conversation when Bella would suddenly pause. The pause was usually accompanied with a glossy-eyed stare and then, after an odd headshake, would end with a blush. It had already happened three times and I had only known Bella for 24 hours! I growled into the darkness—this was very frustrating. I finally deposited the garbage into the can and returned to the small kitchen.

Bella was now putting the dishes away. Turning at the sound of the door closing, Bella's eyes roamed over me—twice. Her lips twisted into a smirk.

"I just asked for you take a out the trash—not go jump in a lake."

I felt my forehead wrinkle. _What is she talking about?_ A soft 'drip, drip' caught my attention. I looked down at myself to see a pool of water forming at my feet. I was soaked. I must have been too distracted to even notice the rain outside. Bella's comment now made sense and a wide smile crossed my mouth.

"I didn't know taking out the garbage included a shower." I shook my head quickly, flinging water across the room.

"Eww!" Bella protested and shielded herself with a dishtowel.

"It's just a little water, Bella."

"Yes, it is wet and cold."

I laughed, "And I believe it falls here almost everyday."

Bella's face scrunched in disgust. "You don't need to remind me." She whispered through clinched teeth.

"You don't like the rain?" I asked in disbelief. Bella shook her head and proceeded to wipe the droplets off of her arms. "Then why do you live in the wettest place in the continental United States?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Charlie has always lived here."

Bella refused to meet my eyes. _That's unusual, when does she _not_ look at me while speaking to me?_ Something didn't feel right. _Is she lying to me? What could she be trying to hide?_ "So you've always had to endure such ill weather?"

"No. Phoenix had wonderful weather. I'd take 110˚ heat over rain any day." Bella chewed on her lip for a brief moment and I had the suspension she wasn't fully explaining herself.

"Well, then why are you _here_ instead of there?" I asked, my impatience making me brash and perhaps a little rude.

She met my eyes for a moment. "It's complicated."

"I think I can keep up."

Bella glanced over her shoulder to the open kitchen door. Charlie sat in his recliner watching Monday Night Football. _Was she looking at him to pull her from this conversation?_ I didn't understand, but Bella broke the silence with a sigh and then jumped into an explanation.

"Up until last winter I lived with my Mom, Renee, in Phoenix." She glanced again at Charlie and continued in a softer, more hushed tone. "Then my Renee remarried."

I saw all the pieces fall into place. "And you didn't like the guy?"

"No." Bella said rather loudly and then cringed and spoke quietly again. "No, Phil is a great guy. He's probably too young and immature to really be good for my mom—but they are crazy about each other."

My Bella puzzle once again fell apart. This was a bit more complicated. _Surely she wasn't sent here because her mother didn't want her around? _I felt a growl building deep inside. _Discarding a sweet child to live a life with a 'young' and 'immature' husband…_

"Phil's a professional baseball player, or at least he is striving to be one." Bella continued, ignorant of the hateful thoughts that were building inside me. "He's only up to AAA and for the longest time was traded around the league. Between the different teams and baseball's schedule of _lots_ of away games, Phil was away from home quite a bit."

_Ah, and the traveling put a strain on the newly weds' relationship. Thus Bella left to have more stability. _I was sure my assessment was correct.

"It was really hard on my mom." Bella sighed. "And it wasn't fair for her to choose between traveling with Phil or staying home with me. So, I made the decision for her."

I looked at Bella in disbelief. "You moved to someplace you _hate_ so that your mother can go running around the country with your step-father?" Perhaps I wasn't the adolescent expert, but this didn't make sense. Teens are naturally selfish; they are jealous creatures and usually do everything in their power to _rebel_ against their parents' wishes. _Yet here Bella stands, carrying unnecessary burdens that should be her mother's responsibility._ "That doesn't seem fair."

Bella shrugged, "Haven't you heard that life isn't fair." Her voice was light but her eyes reflected emotions that were much darker.

"Yes, I suppose I've heard that before." I said dryly, seeing that Bella wanted to lighten the mood, I tried to help her do so. Realization dawned on me: the reason I didn't understand this child—the reason she was such a puzzle to me, was because I didn't have all the pieces. I was trying to assemble Bella out of pieces that _I_ had fabricated. I would never solve the puzzle that was Bella unless I allowed _her_ to give me the pieces. The piece 'Selfless' fell into place next to 'confident' and 'shy'. Yes, they didn't seem to fit, but I obviously didn't understand the picture they were supposed to make. _I'll unlock the secrets of Bella and be content to move on,_ I told myself. Whether or not this was an excuse to spend more time with Bella, or justification of my curiosity for Bella, I was unsure. But I did know one thing: something deep within me was pulling me towards Bella. I couldn't deny how quickly she had uprooted all my priorities and taken the center stage of my mind.

_Something is seriously wrong with me._

Bella stifled a yawn. "Well, first day of school really wore me out. I'm going to go."

I smiled softly. "Sleep well, Bella."

"Yeah, you too." She chewed on her lip for another moment and then turned to exit the kitchen. I heard her feet tread up the stairs and the door to her room close.

I was still standing in the kitchen in the middle of a puddle of rainwater. _Change and clean up, _I told myself as I silently ran through the downstairs_._ Charlie was in his chair, just starting to snore, and was completely unaware of me as I changed and mopped up the kitchen floor. I wrung out my clothes in the washbasin in the laundry room and then hung them up to dry. And then it was back to my little room to 'sleep.' _No, I'll do something else first—I might go crazy if I have to stay in that room all night._ So, I sat on the couch opposite of Charlie and stared absentmindedly at the TV screen.

Bella moved above us, opening and closing doors and starting the shower. "Need to wash out my head." She muttered to herself. _What an odd thing to say._ Although, I could relate, how many times had I wished to completely clear my head of all thoughts—_especially_ those that belonged to _other_ people. People's minds were very disturbing. _What could Bella be thinking that would disturb her enough to want to 'wash out her head'?_ I didn't' have an answer, so I put the question down on my growing list of 'The Confounding Things about Bella.'

After a shower, Bella retreated to her bedroom and secured the door with a 'click' of the lock. Ten minutes later the Chief startled awake and dragged his heavy feet up the stairs. That was my cue; I locked myself in my tiny bedroom and prayed for the dawn to approach quickly. I should have known that my wish was too radical—I would never be granted that level of peace.

**Okay, so some progress on the Bella front-at least he's able to talk to her without biting her head off. :) If you are struggling with anything in this story please don't hesitate to tell me. I love reviews-even the nasty ones. I read EVERY ONE of my reviews and respond to those that need a response. **

**What do you think of my little story thus far? Click on the button & tell me, I really want to know!  
**


	4. Midnight Confessions of a Monster

**Dearest Readers: The summer months have hit us-what a perfect time to sit & read! I have been playing with the chapter for a while. At one point I moved it back-like WAY back-in the story, but somehow it always ended up here. For those struggling with the pacing of this story let me say this: How long was Edward able to stay away from Bella? She arrived sometime in January, E left for a week & the next week the accident happened. So in less than 2 weeks Edward already attracted to her-enough so that he would risk exposing his family to save her life. Yes, he did spend the next month completely ignoring her, but that doesn't really apply here. Edward can not ignore someone who lives in the same house as him. Being around Bella 24 is compounding the situation. Now, that said, they are NOT going to make-out in the next chapter. Sorry to those who want that, but I am going to try and give reasonable foundation to their love. I will stop rambling now & let you read. Enjoy!**

Chapter 4: Midnight Confessions of a Monster

I silently paced my ten foot by twelve and a half foot room like a stalking beast. Above my head, Bella was in her bed tossing restlessly. Her inability to sleep soundly tonight was slowly wearing away my sanity. I was hungry. But I couldn't leave the house until I was sure everyone was fast asleep. _What if I left and someone came to check on me?_ I didn't truly believe either Bella or the Chief were particularly concerned with how I was 'sleeping' at night, but still, I felt I needed to stay.

There was a frustrated sigh from above. Bed springs creaked and then two feet gently touched down on the hardwood floors. Three steps later I knew exactly who was up—Bella. Her footsteps were muffled and timid and sounded nothing like the heavy lumbering of the Chief. _Does she have to use the restroom again?_ I glanced over at the clock, it was 2:19 in the morning, and she had just used the bathroom two hours ago. _Human bladders aren't that small._

I froze in mid-step as the top stair creaked. Bella was coming down stairs. I panicked slightly and dove into bed, throwing the covers over myself and squeezing my eyes shut. It was a bit overdramatic and I shook my head at my own foolishness. _Bella's only on the third step you twit. _I lectured myself. _And what makes you think she's coming down to see_ you_ anyway?_ The question had no logical answer, but part of me had hopes. _Hoping a human girl is coming to visit in the middle of the night?_ I quickly extinguished all such hopes—they were completely inappropriate and irrational.

Bella had made it down the stairs. Her hand gently brushed along the wall as she walked. _Probably headed to the kitchen for a glass of water or 'midnight snack'._ But Bella passed the kitchen. The floorboards directly in front of my bedroom door moaned slightly as her feet settled. I stopped breathing. _What is Bella doing outside my door?_ There was a soft sound on my door as if Bella had placed her hands on it. My muscles tensed in preparation and my senses opened up further. Other than the soft snoring of the Chief, the house was eerily silent.

Suddenly, I couldn't take it; my already worn nerves could not handle any suspense. I rose from bed and was at the door, pulling it open. Bella gasped and jumped back slightly. _Stupid, Edward! She couldn't have heard you—now you've scared her half to death!_

"Oh, Edward." Bella's eyes were wide and her heart pounded furiously in her chest. "I was… I was just headed to the kitchen. I guess I…"

Bella stopped mid sentence as she finally looked me over. I wasn't too sure what she could see in the dim light of the hallway nightlight. I could perfectly see each hair of her rumpled bed head. It honestly wasn't a bad look for her.

"You sleep in jeans?" She finally asked.

I was still wearing the clothes from the previous day. _Fantastic, Edward, how are you going to get out of this one?_

"I guess I fell asleep before I could change out of them." I quickly lied.

Bella chewed on her lip and an uneasy silence feel between us. You could feel the lies hang between us, but the discomfort of the lies was easier than demanding the truth. Least, that is what I told myself.

"I'm going to, ah, use the restroom." I was fearful that the longer I stood there the greater the chance that Bella would call me out. I didn't want to lie to her, but what was I to say? _'I didn't change my clothes because I was waiting till you feel asleep so that I could sneak out of the house and kill something?'_ Or how about: _I don't need to change into pajamas—I don't sleep. _No. I made a hasty retreat up to the bathroom where I sat for 2 minutes and three seconds—I know, I counted—before flushing the toilet and washing my hands.

With that excuse used, I slowly walked back down the stairs. A light was on in the kitchen, the door propped open a bit. I ignored the pull that the kitchen held and returned to my bed. My phone buzzed in my back pocket.

_**Don't be rude. Change into the PAJAMAS that I bought for you (don't you remember me telling you to use them) and go talk to her. Obviously something is bothering Bella.**_

I dismissed Alice's text. _She doesn't understand the situation._ I no sooner thought that thought than my phone buzzed again.

_**She won't fall asleep if you don't talk to her. Meaning, you won't get to hunt tonight UNLESS you go.**_

I growled in frustration and hit reply: _I thought this was an emergency phone. _I hit send only to find a new text already waiting.

_**Who says it won't be an emergency if you don't eat? Just get your butt in there.**_

_Stupid, meddling physic, _I grumbled as I changed into appropriate sleeping attire. I walked in the kitchen to see Bella sitting on the counter with a spoon in her mouth. An open carton of ice cream sat in her lap. She reached over and pulled another spoon from the drying rack.

"Chocolate Malted Crunch?" She asked, holding the spoon out to me. If I hadn't seen that name on the ice cream container, I wouldn't have understood her offer.

"No thanks." Silence set for a moment before I forced my feet to walk. _Do something a human would do—you did come in here, don't stand there like a moron! _I walked over to the refrigerator and pulled the door open. After staring at the contents for exactly forty-seven seconds I closed the door and turned to Bella.

"I hope I didn't wake you." She spoke so softly I was sure no human would have heard her.

"It's alright—I don't usually sleep well." I ran my hand through my hair and scratched at the back of my head. Alice had made it clear that I needed to talk to Bella, yet I had _no_ idea what to talk to her about. I finally decided to start with the obvious, "Why are you up?"

Bella shrugged and dug further into the carton. "Just couldn't get comfortable."

Her reluctance told me one thing: getting to the bottom of this would take a while. So I settled in one of the kitchen chairs and propped my feet up.

"Is there something on your mind?" I probed.

Bella looked up at me with her big brown eyes and could almost feel the sadness radiating from them. I was momentarily distracted as she took another bite. The way her lips closed around the spoon almost made the ice cream appetizing—almost. Eventually her eyes wandered from mine, her forehead scrunched in thought.

_Will you just spit it out?_ I shouted in my head. Trying to relax myself again, I took a deep breath. It didn't help—Bella's still damp hair amplified her appealing scent and made my throat roar out in pain. I needed to hunt. Which meant I needed to get this conversation over with.

"Why was the state so desperate to separate you from your family?" I cringed at her question and Bella quickly back peddled. "Sorry that didn't come out right. Ah, did… is there…"

I saved her the grief of trying to find a nice way to ask what was obviously on her mind. "My father was successful in his investments, too successful in the government's mind, so the IRS started an investigation. When they couldn't find anything wrong with Carlisle's business they dove into the family documents and found that my adoption papers were missing. Carlisle and Esme had filed them years ago, but somewhere in the process the State seems to have misplaced them."

"What does your adoption have to do with the IRS?"

"Nothing." I tried to soften my tone, but my anger was flaring again. "But my missing papers was the only kink in Carlisle's life that they could find. They claimed Carlisle and the current state of the household, thanks to the stupid investigation, to be 'an unhealthy environment to raise a child' and so they graciously removed me from the situation."

"That's ridiculous!" Bella put her ice cream down with a loud thud. The fire lit her eyes once again. "That's the stupidest thing I've heard. Do they really believe your Dad is dangerous?"

_He is designed to kill._ I instantly regretted that thought. Carlisle had never killed; all he did was strengthen and heal the living. "No, Carlisle would never hurt a soul."

"Exactly! You're not dangerous, so why separate you from your family?"

My ears picked up Bella's misspoken words. "You don't think _I'm _dangerous?" I stared openly into Bella's eyes, allowing a sinister smile to creep across my face. She shivered under my stare and her heart picked up speed. _Yes child, you should be frightened._

"No." That single word was spoken with such assurance; it boggled my mind. "Misunderstood—maybe, but not dangerous."

_Unacceptable! Bella—you must understand the danger you are in!_ I jumped to my feet and appeared inches from Bella's face. Because she sat on the countertop, I could not loom over her, so I threw my arms on either side of her small body giving her no way of escape. Her spoon clattered to the sink.

"You know _nothing_ about me." I practically growled at her.

Bella's blood raced out of control, her breath was coming in increasingly faster and shallower gasps. The monster within me was thrashing to be released completely; it reveled in the fact that I had scared Bella. Her fear filled my silent heart with shame.

I couldn't look at Bella for a second more. Staring at her fear-filled eyes made me feel like a monster. _At least now she sees the reality of the situation. Now that she's seen the monster within me, she should stay away._ I pushed away from the counter and fled the scene, slamming the door to my room and then throwing open the window.

_Let them send out the search team—they'll never find me!_

And without a second thought I ran deep into the forest.

Running freed the beast. Instincts easily overtook my mind and I submitted to my most primitive desire—thirst. I tracked and killed four deer before a human thought entered my mind. Once my thirst was thoroughly sated I was no longer distracted and the guilt welled up like never before.

My head replayed the scene of Bella's fear again and again. The frantic beating of her heart and the tiny gasps of her breath accompanied the mental pictures.

_I truly am a monster._

_Buzz! Buzz!_ I growled at the phone that rested in my pocket. Pulling it from my pocket, I contemplated throwing it as hard and as far as I could. _Buzz! Buzz!_ It seemed to understand the peril it was in as it vibrated in fear.

After the thirty-fifth buzz I answered the phone, "Leave me alone." I told whoever was on the line.

"Fine, if you don't want my insight then have fun wallowing in self-hate." Alice paused for a minute. "At least Bella knows you really are a jerk now."

"Alice." I growled at her but the line went dead. My anger peeked again and I cocked back my arm to throw the phone. But it vibrated again and I could resist the opportunity to vent some of my anger on Alice. _She's the reason I'm here in the first place—__I__ would have never gone to talk to Bella. None of this would have happened if Alice hadn't insisted._

"You _do_ realize that this is completely your fault!" I started talking into the phone, allowing my voice to seep with all my rage.

"Yes, I do. I fully comprehend how my actions have torn apart this family. But I don't believe you know how sorry I am for the situation I have unintentionally placed you in." Carlisle took a breath. "Edward, we all feel wretched about this, but it is _truly _all my fault. I am sorry son."

Carlisle's voice wavered slightly with his last words. All the anger escaped with my breath and was replaced with a new guilt. "Carlisle, I didn't… that was deplorable thing for me to say. I apologize. I actually thought it was Alice calling me."

"And why do you feel the need to blame your sister?" Carlisle's voice was quickly taking on a lecturing tone, "You know Alice didn't see these events coming. Her vision is far from perfect and we cannot expect her to predict everything that is to happen to us."

I sighed, completely frustrated with myself. Thankfully, Carlisle saved me from having to explain the situation. "Perhaps you were referring to the present situation, a fall out with your Foster sister?"

_Of course Alice has blabbed to the entire family. _I could picture the meeting of Alice telling of my latest failure. Esme and Carlisle would hang their heads in shame, Jasper would be thankful that I had taken his place as 'weakest around humans', Rosalie would wonder why anyone actually bothered—I was a lost cause in her mind—and Emmett would probably find the situation funny.

"Alice is very concerned about you, Edward. She tracked me down almost 100 miles after she saw the last vision. I haven't seen her troubled like this." Carlisle chuckled briefly, "She also made me miss out on a delicious meal of caribou, but once this issue is resolved I'm sure I could find them again."

I realized that there hadn't been a 'meeting of Edward's failings'. Once again, I had jumped to a hasty conclusion. _Just add it to the list—Damn Edward, can you do anything right today? _Alice was probably just as ashamed of my actions as I was. I tried to apologize again, but Carlisle wouldn't hear of it. He wanted to hear the entire story. I told him every detail of the last 24 hours, going over Bella's appealing scent and revealing that I could not hear her thoughts.

"You can't hear _anything_ she thinks?" Carlisle asked with disbelief.

"Not one word." I spat out in frustration, "I've tried."

"Fascinating."

I didn't find the situation fascinating in the least—it was completely irritating. Carlisle pondered on Bella's silent mind for a few minutes before he dove into the mess I was currently in. He was successful in calming some of nerves, but the pictures of Bella's frightened face still flashed in my mind. _I really am a monster—only a monster would cause such an innocent girl to cower in fear._

"Well Edward, Alice says that Bella hasn't called the police or even awoken her father. At one point she contemplated trying to follow you, but thankfully she didn't try that."

"Why would she try to follow me?" It was, once again, an action I would have never predicted.

"Alice believes she feels guilty."

"That's ridiculous."

I could hear the smile in Carlisle's voice as he spoke again. "Bella appears to be quite the conundrum. But let's focus on getting you home with the fewest problems."

"_I think he should just walk home."_ I heard Alice suggest in the background. A moment (and vision) later she spoke with confidence. _"Yes, Bella has fallen asleep—Edward can reenter the house however he likes and she won't wake."_

"And what about tomorrow?" I asked, "Just pretend like it never happened?"

"Perhaps Bella won't want to talk about it either. Humans are good are repressing negative memories. But Edward," Carlisle's voice took on an authoritative edge, "you need to take extra precautions around Bella. You don't know what she is thinking; you must listen to the minds around her and make sure she doesn't tell anyone of your slip. My investigation with the IRS has already placed our family in the spotlight, we can't afford to stand out any more… the Volturi…"

"I know." I cleared my throat, "I will do nothing to draw attention to our coven."

"I am confident in you, son. Now, run back home and stay out off trouble."

Alice giggled in the background. _"It's hard when trouble is spelled B-E-L-L-A."_

Carlisle ignored the comment and bid me a good night. I gently closed the phone and pondered Alice's last comment. I didn't know what my sister meant, but I came to one conclusion quickly: Bella _was_ trouble. The draw of her blood and my curiosity of her silent mind were a dangerous combination. I needed to just stay away. Somehow I knew that would be more difficult than I ever imagined.

I arrived at the Swan residence and was greeted by the snoring of the Chief and the soft, steady rhythm of Bella's breathing. The window to my room was still open. I dove through the opening, somersaulting once before landing silently on my feet. Instantly I was assaulted by Bella's scent. _What in the world!_ There, curled up on the floor beneath the window was Bella. I retreated to the back corner, outraged and frightened that she had invaded my personal space.

"Edward, come back." She spoke softly. Her voice sounded off—something wasn't right.

_Great! Now I have to explain running away __and__ jumping through a window doing wild acrobatics. Damn it, could this night get any worse?_

"Please, come back." Bella let out a shaky breath as her body shivered. "Onyx hates me. Bring back topaz. Lovely…rich, honey topaz."

"Bella?" I asked taking a step forward. She mumbled and shifted slightly. Her lids fluttered and her breathing took on a heavier rhythm. _She's asleep!_ I couldn't help but laugh. I knew of sleep talking, but had never encountered it before. _Onyx and topaz? _My mind worked over the possibilities and came up with nothing._ What odd dream is Bella having?_

I approached her cautiously, as I didn't want to wake her, and squatted down to be at her level. I waited in anticipation of her next words—it was odd, but I was so curious. A smile rose across my face as Bella spoke again.

"It's too green." She muttered softly and I chuckled lightly.

Bella stirred again and pulled her arm to support her head. _Surely she isn't comfortable lying on the floor like that._ She shivered again and I realized the room's temperature was probably too cool to be comfortable. _And there is still the issue of Bella sleeping in __my__ bedroom. _I didn't want to know how Chief Swan would react to such a thing—no need for him to test if I was bullet proof or not.

My mind debated and argued for several moments before I finally took action. Careful to hold her far from my cold, hard body, I lift Bella in my arms.

"Bad… no growling." Bella mumbled in her sleep, speaking as if she were scolding a disobedient dog. I bit the side of my mouth to hold in the laugh that was threatening to escape. _Let's get this over with._ In a flash of movement I was upstairs and standing next to Bella's bed. Gently, as if I were holding glass, I laid Bella in her bed and slid my arms out from under her. In an amazingly fast movement, Bella rolled towards me and grasped my shirt in her fists.

"NEVER again. PROMISE!" Bella's words were full of hurt and anger. She clung to my shirt like a lifeline.

"I… I promise." I whispered softly. _I will never do anything to scare or hurt you again._ With a soft sigh, she released my shirt, sank into her pillow and drifted into a deeper sleep. Still contemplating the gravity of my promise, I crept down the stairs to my room.

**I really do love this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it too. Tell me what you think, just click the little button and type away. I LOVE reviews, please leave me one!**


	5. Temptress

**Hello readers, Sorry this post is so long in the making. Summers are always so crazy for me! Hopefully this was worth the wait. Special thanks to CatieLardin who has volunteered to beta this. Catie, I am soooo relieved to have you! Enjoy! **

**Raca**

Chapter 5: Temptress

The next morning I waited until the Chief was finished with his shower before emerging from my room. While washing away the dirt and other evidence of last night's wanderings, I listened closely to Bella's actions. Three minutes into my shower she stirred in her room.

"Man, I really gotta pee." She mumbled. I sped up my showering knowing that she needed the restroom. Bella's soft footfalls rested outside the bathroom where she groaned. "I will _never_ get used to sharing a bathroom."

There was a soft 'thunk' and I could picture her head falling back in frustration. It was mildly amusing, yet I still sped up my shower to ease her discomfort. As soon as the water washing off of me ran from red-brown to clear, I shut of the water. I slowed my actions to a 'human' pace, but was still dried and dressed in no time. Taking one last clean breath, I opened the door.

Bella was shifting quickly between her feet; her arms were folded across her chest. "Thanks." She said hastily as she darted past me into the restroom. I chuckled as I heard her stub her toe on the vanity. _Could anyone be more clumsy?_ I reviewed my memories of interacting with humans and found no one that compared. _They don't compare in so many ways._

I was distracted again from a deep sigh on the other side of the bathroom door. Bella inhaled loudly and hummed softly. The toilet flushed and then peculiar sounds of bottles opening and closing met my ears. Bella was still breathing rather loudly. _What is she doing? Is she all right?_ Having such a small frame Bella could easily hyperventilate, so I lingered at the door to ensure her safety. Least, that's what I told myself. Finally the bottle movement stopped and Bella took a long, lingering breath.

"That's half of it," she muttered to herself as she set something down. "It is so not fair, as if the angelic looks weren't enough, top it off with his smell and…" Bella moaned softly, "I'm going to go crazy."

_Smell?_ _Angelic looks?_ _Bella's going crazy?_ A small, vengeful smile rose across my face. It gave me great pleasure to think that, perhaps, Bella was affected by me. The smile grew as Bella took another deep breath and muttered, "It's going to be a long day."

_I completely agree._

Taking stairs two at a time, I avoided the Chief in the kitchen and proceeded to my room. I shoved the soiled pajama pants from last night deep into my suitcase. _I'll need to wash out those stains before anyone notices._ Instantly my thoughts were on Bella, she was observant—too much so. I needed to watch myself more carefully around her.

_And speaking of Bella…_ I thought as I heard someone trip on the last stair. A soft curse escaped Bella's lips. Unaware of my actions, I found myself following Bella into the kitchen when she stopped suddenly. I nearly ran into her, the movement was so unexpected. Bella's body tensed. I sidestepped her to be able see her face. Confusion was etched in the deep lines of her pinched forehead. I didn't understand her expression until I followed her eyes to the countertop where the gallon of Chocolate Malted Crunch ice cream still sat. _Evidence from last night! _I mentally cursed at myself for forgetting about the blasted ice cream. Thus far this morning, Bella had acted as if last night had never happened, as if it had only been a dream. That carton of ice cream shattered my hope that last night would remain a dream.

"Bella, glad to see your up." The Chief spoke and Bella shifted her focus from the ice cream carton. "Gibbs called in sick, looks like I might have to take a double shift today."

I could feel Chief's Swans eyes on me. _**That is, if I know you're going to be safe.**_The Chief's thoughts rang crystal clear in my mind for a few moments. I quit staring at Bella and tried to find something else to engage in. The newspaper was sitting on the table, so I sat and proceeded to concentrate on front page. The action seemed to mellow some of Chief Swan's concerns and his mind faded back to an indecipherable hum.

"Oh, okay." Bella's words acknowledged her father, but her tone revealed that her mind was elsewhere.

"Right." The Chief rose from the table and poured another cup of coffee. "My phone will be on. Call—for anything."

I sensed that Swan's words were directed at me. It was evident he didn't trust me and, truthfully, I was thankful he was concerned. _It seems as if Bella has no sense of self-preservation, the Chief needs to be doubly concerned._ An awkward moment later, the Chief strapped on his gun belt and was running through the rain to the cruiser.

Bella remained in her frozen state for several more minutes. She then approached the carton with caution and gently replaced the lid. With slow movements, she turned and dropped the melted mess in the trash. The room fell silent again and the tension rose. Glancing over the paper, my eyes were trapped by Bella's furious stare. She opened her mouth only to snap it shut. With heavy and angry feet, she stomped out of the room and up the stairs.

I released the breath that I had been holding. Two things were now clear: first, Bella remember everything from last night and second, that memory made her angry. I was relieved that she wasn't interested in discussing my actions, yet I was more concerned about _why _she was upset. She had every right to be angry, but that didn't mean I wanted her angry with _me._

Bella remained upstairs until it was time to leave. We drove in silence to the school. Bella's shoulders were stiff and her mouth was set in a firm line. It appeared that she was going to be upset for a while, so I gave her a wide berth and kept to myself.

As we pulled up to Forks High, Bella's truck was practically overrun by a short girl with unruly, curly hair. I recognized her ranting, obsessive mind from my Spanish class.

"Bella!" The girl pounced as Bella opened her door.

"Hey Jessica, what's up?" Bella's posture relaxed slightly at the sight of her friend—or I assumed they were friends.

"I was thinking, you know, it has been almost _forever_ since all us girls have had a night out. We _totally_ need to get together for a sleep over."

Bella hesitated, "Yeah, I guess you're right, we didn't hang out much this summer since I was working."

"I know!" Jessica's mind buzzed with happiness as Bella was falling perfectly into her little trap. I smirked as the next words tumbled from her mouth. "It's your turn to host—when should I tell the girls to come over?"

"Ah," Bella literally staggered and Jessica's eyes wandered to me. I tried to block out her thoughts by focusing on Bella. "It's Tuesday, I don't think Charlie would approve of that. In fact," Bella seemed to trying to come up with an excuse. "I better talk with my Dad and get permission first."

Disappointment poured from Jessica's body language and tone, "Yeah, you're totally right. Call me tonight and let me know what he thinks about this weekend, we're all free Saturday night."

"Great." Bella said with little enthusiasm. And Jessica skipped off to another group of girls. Bella walked towards her locker and I fell into step behind her.

My locker was just across the hallway from Bella's, giving me the perfect opportunity to listen in on her next conversation. Of course, I was only paying close attention because Carlisle told me to do so.

"Bella, Bella, fo-fella, oh, manna, manna, mo mella. Fee-fi, fo-fella, Bella!" Mike Newton sang off key as he approached Bella's locker. I rolled my eyes at the immaturity of Newton, he reminded me of the reasons why I despise high school.

"Hi Mike." Bella's response lacked interest or spirit in comparison to Newton's greeting. It made me smile.

"So, first football game of the season is Friday night. I know I can count on you to root on your Spartans."

"Sure, you know Charlie already has season tickets. I bet he'll drag me to most of the games." I was enjoying how quickly and efficiently Bella was dismissing Newton. With or without her knowing it, she was quickly extinguishing his confidence. "Let's go Spartans!" Bella exclaimed sarcastically.

Newton misinterpreted her excitement and grinned like a fool. His thoughts went down a new road and instantly concluded that 'this year, Bella Swan would become _his_ girl.' I didn't have to be a mind reader to know that Bella would disagree with that idea; her following words said it all.

"Plus, Edward is going to be playing, I should be there to cheer him on." Bella's tone was neutral, but her words still made my stomach twist in a new way.

"Right, what _sister_ wouldn't do that?" Mike's mind was quickly trying to regain its poise—something he naturally lacked anyway. With hesitance he asked her out, "So, ah, after the game you want to go get a burger or something?"

I turned my head just in time to catch the brief look of horror on Bella's face. It was even better when Newton caught the same look and replayed it over and over in his mind. I don't believe I stiffed my laugh very well. "Um, the games are usually so long… I don't think Charlie would like me to be that late."

"Yeah, okay. Saturday."

"I've got a full day planned." Bella spoke quickly and I detected something in her voice. _Is she lying?_ Newton took on a defeated stance and Bella sighed softly, "Maybe some other time."

That small comment made Newton's heart soar as he immediately translated that 'maybe' into a 'yes'. The bell rang and I was forced to leave Bella's presence and walk to my Spanish class. I didn't lose touch with her though; I paid close attention to her as she walked through other people's minds. I did, after all, have the responsibility to make sure she told no one of my odd behavior.

I don't recall much that happened in my first four classes. I took notes, answered questions and ignored the inappropriate thoughts of my classmates, but none were accomplished with much fervor. I did, however, successfully increase my knowledge of Bella. She was intelligent. Not only answering questions to the liking of the teachers, but often impressing them with her forward and different thinking. Bella was compassionate. Twice in Trigonometry she ignored her own work to help another student who was struggling. The Compassionate and Intelligent pieces of the 'Bella puzzle' fell into place next to Selfless, Confident and Shy. I was pleased with how quickly her secrets were being revealed—I hoped that soon I would be able to dismiss the silly little girl and continue on with my endless existence. Surely Bella wouldn't be able to hold my attention for long—nothing was able to do that.

I was pulled from my thoughts by the ever appealing and tempting smell of Bella. Class had been released for lunch and Bella crossed my path on her way to the cafeteria. Venom pooled in my mouth and the burning thirst that I had thoroughly quenched last night flared again.

_I just fed last night!_ I cursed myself mentally. _Will I ever be able to stand her presence? _I growled softly and the freshman walking at my side staggered. Her heart sped up and she quickly retreated to the other side of the hallway. _That's right child,_ I thought bitterly, _flee from the monster._

Frustrated with my weakness I stormed past the lunch line and took a seat at a deserted table. My brooding expression kept the admirers from yesterday at bay and no one dared sit at my table. Content to be alone and bitter with my thoughts, I pulled out my ipod and turned on the darkest, most angry music I owned.

I was deep in my failings and problems when a tray of food settled across from me. I didn't have to look or even breath to know who was across from me; instead I felt that strange flutter, an electrical buzz that only accompanies one person—Bella. Resentfully I raised my eyes to hers. She gazed at me while her teeth worked over her bottom lip. After a moment she surrendered the lip in favor of speaking.

"Thought you could use some company." Bella spoke in a hushed, breathy tone. From her staggering, jumpy pulse I was sure she was not comfortable in my presence. Yet as I breathed, I could not detect the adrenaline of fear in her scent.

Bella sat and began picking at her plate with shaky hands. I tried to block her out and return to my music, but the passion behind my frustration was already gone.

"Are you feeling alright?" Bella asked suddenly. _What does she mean? _I doubted that I heard her correctly and removed the ear buds. Bella smiled weakly at my action and repeated herself. "Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine." I kept my response short, not wanting to use much of my air supply.

"Oh." Bella's face fell and she continued to push the food around on her plate. _Why should she care about how I feel? Is it really that obvious that I am in pain? _

"Why do you ask?" I asked wearily, it was disturbing that Bella could so easily read me when I had such difficulties reading her.

She shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know, I guess I just thought it odd that you aren't eating… I thought you'd be hungry after last night." Her voice trailed off and made it seem as if she wanted to say more. I tried to soften my stare, to will those words from her. "I mean, you didn't even eat dinner last night and don't… well all the guys I know seem to never _stop_ eating."

"I packed a lunch and ate it between my classes." The lie fell off my lips smoothly. _But why or __how__ does she notice these things? No one in this entire room observed my lack of food, they were all too focused on my body language. _It was disturbing just how much Bella saw; I knew I needed to keep her away.

"You don't have to sit here out of pity." I spoke harshly. If my physical alien appearance wasn't enough to scare Bella off, then I would result to words and rude behavior.

"I don't know what your problem is Edward." Bella's voice and eyes lit with fire. She was absolutely beautiful when anger flushed her cheeks. "I know how unpleasant it is to move somewhere new and be forced into an environment you're not comfortable with, but that doesn't give excuse to these childish fits. What are you? Two?" She leaned in closer and lowered her voice, "You were right last night. I _don't_ know anything about you, but I'm beginning to feel like that is how you want it. So, if that's what you want, fine. I won't push to befriend you—I was content before you ever joined my little family. But you listen now, don't you _dare_ pull anything while you're off on your little midnight adventures. Charlie has worked long and hard for his perfect reputation. He's put a lot on the line taking in a stranger. You should be gracious for his generosity and pure heart."

Her words cut through my hardened exterior but made the anger flare up in me again. I knew I was close to losing my temper. I leaned forward till our faces were just inches apart. "I don't need your lectures, just leave me alone."

Bella took in a haggard breath; moisture flooded the corners of her eyes. In a quick and uncontrolled movement, she was out of her seat and fleeing across the room. As the door slammed behind her, I could feel the gaze of the entire cafeteria. An instant later the room was buzzing with hushed conversations and wandering thoughts. Only one person, a tall girl with thick glasses and light brown hair, left to pursue Bella, all the others were more preoccupied with drama and potential gossip that surrounded me. As their thoughts grew worse I grew more frustrated and finally had to flee. I left through a different door and locked myself in the closest bathroom. The distance did nothing to silence the thoughts, but at least I didn't have to feel their accusing eyes.

The anger gradually subsided and the guilt returned. The tear filled eyes of Bella flooded my thoughts and I hung my head in shame. _I did it again—I hurt her._ Her words had ignited something within me and I practically pounced on her. Vampires tend to have quick tempers, and I was not an exception to that norm, but no one else seemed to create a fire within me as quickly as Bella. Not even my hyper active, physic sister pushed my buttons as easily and quickly as Bella did. She truly seemed to bring out the monster in me—in every way possible.

The lunch bell rang and I lingered in the bathroom, timing it so that I would arrive at my next class—the Shakespeare class that I had with Bella—just before the late bell. Of course, my timing was perfect and thankfully, my seat in the back of the classroom had been left vacant. I settled in, preparing for a difficult class.

I wasn't disappointed.

Like the day before, the room was overheated and saturated with Bella's scent. Every breath set my throat ablaze. It was hell. Yet as I sat and basked in the flames, I became aware of the more subtle scents of my singer. Bella's flora scent was blended with strawberries and a spice I had yet to place. It was the perfect combination, the perfect torture.

And so I burned through English.

The period eventually ended, and I was given a short break before the torture was to begin in Biology. I lingered in the hallway, waiting until the last possible second before walking into the classroom. Today we were being tested on our general Biology knowledge. Mr. Banner's mind was full of anxiety as he stressed that he would have to cover too much too quickly. And he had every reason to be worried; this class (aside from Bella) did not seem to be very bright.

_Wonderful, a classroom full of dim students and a temptress. _A half-smile crept up my face at Bella's title. _Temptress._ I was already attracted to her blood, add the fact that her mind was silent and this tiny girl could easily seduce me. The beast within purred in delight as _Temptress_ took on a sexual undertone. I nearly staggered trying to force my thoughts in a new direction. But it was too late. Just looking at Bella now leaning over her desk, her hair shadowing her face, she suddenly seemed more mysterious.

Mystery was very attractive.

Being unable to hear her thoughts meant that every moment I spent with Bella was unpredicted. Granted, it was frustrating, but it was strangely exciting. The flutter returned to my insides and the air seemed to buzz with electricity as I approached our lab table. Bella seemed to sense the change also; her eyes quickly found mine and the force between us grew even more.

I didn't break her stare as I circled the table and took my seat. Her rich, chocolate eyes were unabashed as she searched me—practically piercing my soul. I don't know what she saw, but I believe I _did_ see the soul of Isabella Swan. It was pure and innocent, witty and intelligent, gentle and compassionate, fiery and strong.

I was awestruck.

And then a fierce look overtook her expression and Bella broke contact, turned in her seat and moved as far from me as possible. The feeling of separation was instantaneous. I cursed to myself, it looked like I had accomplished what I had wanted—Bella was furious at me and uninterested. In a sequence of stupid actions and words I had successfully pushed away the one thing I needed the most.

_What am I thinking? I don't need Bella!_ I repeated that mantra over and over in my mind, but didn't truly believe it. Soon, a new thought dawned: _I don't even understand what I'm missing._ I really didn't know much about Bella, and perhaps she did have some flaws, but what if the spark that glowed between us was a signal. What if the flutter, the electrical pulse that seemed to make even my silent heart beat was a sign of something _more_?

I wanted more. Thus far in my vampire life I had been very successful in my distractions, I had never felt a need for anyone. But now, thinking that Bella was finished "pushing to befriend" me, I was aware of my loneliness and more accurately, I was aware of the true draw of Bella. Her mind, her looks, her voice, even her smell lured me in. As torturous as her scent was, I couldn't imagine being away from it long. I was already addicted.

I ran my hands through my hair and stared down at the blank test that sat before me. _What am I doing?_ I thought in despair. I was so anxious, I could have screamed. _Have I truly pushed her away?_ I clung to the hope that, perhaps, Bella was forgiving enough to overlook my past actions and to start anew. _Bet she won't be able to overlook certain things…_ I cowered away from the thought of revealing my true self to Bella. _She'd never care for a monster._

_No, that would never happen._ I hung my head as the pain washed over me. _Her feelings or affections could never mirror mine; my faults are so greater than hers. Not to mention the danger she would be in…_ just the thought of holding Bella close made my mouth fill with venom.

Depressed and defeated I turned to my test. The words were a minor distraction to the pain and I took nearly the entire period to finish the exam. Bella was the first to leave once the bell rang—a sharp contrast to my lethargic movements. I dragged myself over to the football field to observe practice but wasn't really aware of the movements around me.

Practice ended and I slowly walked the distance to the Swan home. Anticipation built as I grew closer. Little bubbles of hope welled up inside me. The house was dark except for the porch light and the light in Bella's room. I entered and was greeted by the smell of dinner—both in human food and in the delicious scent of Bella. In the kitchen a plate of food was covered and sitting on the table. _Edward _was scribbled on the tin foil in Bella's handwriting. I smiled tenderly as I scrapped the food off onto the plate in the fridge that was labeled _Charlie_.

In no mood for homework, I found myself at the piano that lay nestled in the corner of the living room. It was an old upright with flaking paint and chipped keys, but at this point I would have played anything. My fingers quickly found a song that fit my mood, the most depressing and frustrated song in E minor. As the mood lingered past the conclusion of the first song, I dove into a second and then a third and a forth. I was on the fifth black song of loneliness when the last stair creaked behind me. I froze.

"Sorry." Bella nearly whispered. I remained still. The anxiety and ill feelings seem to melt away as Bella walked closer. Just her presence was a soothing balm to my tormented mind. "Please don't stop because of me."

I was eager to fulfill her request, but the song I was playing was no longer appropriate. My fingers itched to praise Bella with a tune, but they were hesitant. After a long moment, Debussy's Arabesque flowed from the instrument and Bella settled in the chair behind me. I lingered with the notes, longing to extend this time of peace that Bella was granting me, but soon the song was over. I held my breath and waited to see if she would request more.

"That was beautiful. I think… was that Debussy?"

I turned around on the piano bench, needing to look on her face and _see_ what she was thinking. "You know Debussy?" I asked in surprise. Bella nodded, blushed and caught her lower lip between her teeth. I was further intrigued, "Do you listen to Classical music?"

Bella's blush deepened, "Not really, but Renee has a CD." She paused for a moment, seeming to gauge my mood, "It is really much more beautiful in person."

I smiled and turned back to the keyboard. _I could play Debussy for hours._ And that fact filled me with excitement. Eager to feed her appetite for Debussy I began the soft notes of Clair de Lune. Behind me, Bella hummed contentment and pulled her legs up to her chest. The songs flowed one from another and I lost track of the notes and phrases. Instead the notes and phrases of Bella's heart and breaths stole my attention. Her heart became my metronome and a completely new song emerged from my fingers. I was shocked at the ease of the composition—I hadn't composed in _years, _as I hadn't found the motivation to write anything new. But now, with little effort on my part, a new and beautiful song was blossoming. Bella's breathing shifted and her heart slowed to a restful pace. I let the notes end and turned to see my Temptress curled in her chair, fast asleep.

The light from the side lamp cast soft shadows over her face, lighting her in the most peaceful way. Contentedly, I watched the rise and fall of her breathing and the subtle movements of her eyes behind her lids. Bella quickly fell into a deep sleep and I began to see the signs of her dreams. I hadn't the faintest idea of what Bella was dreaming, but that didn't seem to matter as I couldn't pull myself from the room. Her face shifted through various expressions, making me even more curious as to what she was dreaming.

"Golden retriever…" She mumbled softly with irritation. I chuckled at her agitation.

"Would you like a dog, Bella?" I asked, mostly to myself. I didn't expect her to respond.

"Don't need another. Down! Sit. Stay." Bella's authoritative voice rang with more force than I had ever heard before. The power of her command stirred something within me and a soft growl escaped my lips.

"Bad boy! Stop it."

Automatically the growl died and I found myself sitting perfectly still, waiting my next command. I sat obediently for several moments before coming to my senses. _She's not talking to you, moron._ I defiantly stood, proving that Bella didn't have command over me. But I remained at the piano, eagerly awaiting the next glimpse into Bella's mind.

I stood at the piano in fascination until the Chief's cruiser pulled into the driveway. As his boots drudged up the gravel driveway I snuck into my room and retreated under the covers of my bed. The Chief grunted in surprise when he discovered Bella in his armchair. More grunting followed as he struggled to carry Bella up the stairs to her room. Soon enough they were both nestled in their beds and sound asleep.

The buzzing of my cell phone interrupted the peaceful sounds of the sleeping house. I checked my new text message from Alice.

_The night custodian has left Dr. Jones' office, you are clear to go. Jasper has already hacked into his system & entered your information. You had an appointment at 5:30 today; the good Doctor has cleared you to play football._

Pulling myself from the chilled sheets of my bed I changed into dark colors and crept from the house. Minutes later I was through a back window of Dr. Jones' office. I froze as the fax machine began printing a new fax. Peeking at the papers, I couldn't help but smile, Alice was faxing over the latest version of my medical history. The last page was a note written in Carlisle's elegant script.

_Edward,_

_I've taken the liberty of updating your Medical history, you were a little too healthy the last four years, thus I added prescriptions for the following illnesses: Streptococcus, herpes zoster and Labyrinthitis. Please review the information to note the changes & the dates associated with them. _

_I have also filled in my information as your Primary Physician just incase Dr. Jones feels the need to call and talk about patient history. I wish you luck son, if this adventure into sports is successful we may finally have something that can occupy Emmett after school. He sends his greetings and hopes that you 'don't screw this up royally'. _

_You are in my thoughts,_

_Carlisle_

I made quick work of sorting and filing my new paperwork into my patient folder and then forging the papers to allow me to play football. Minutes later I was back out the window and running through the forest.

_I'd better hunt again._ I thought as I crossed a deer's fresh trail. I fed liberally and was tucked back in bed within the half hour of leaving. Tonight it appeared that my absence had not been noticed and I was greatly relieved. As the minutes ticked by I mentally played and reworked Bella's composition.

_Bella's Lullaby_ I titled it after the phrases took on a gentle flow. With Bella's heart keeping cadence, I fingered the notes in the air and played music in my heart.

**Notes: Edward's 'sicknesses' that Carlisle prescribed were Strep throat, Shingles & inner ear infection. Nothing really serious, but enough to make a perfect vampires' medical history more believable.  
**


	6. Uphill Battle

**Hello? Anyone still there? I don't blame people for leaving this story; I have been a horrible updater. But I must say this: it was the recent reviews that pushed me back to writing. Thank you to those who have reviewed. I appreciate the love & encouragement. There is another chapter already written, so I should be posting again within a week. I like to stay a chapter ahead, but often break my rules. Please continue to review & tell me what you are enjoying/hating. I am pulling another character into the next chapter & have such high hopes for him. We MUST add some furry friends-don't you think? :) Cheers! -Raca**

Chapter 6: Uphill Battle

Wednesday and Thursday followed the same pattern as the previous two days. Bella and I rode to school in silence and although we parted ways once on campus, I kept a close watch on her through others' minds. At lunch I sat alone with a tray of food and my ipod and tried to ignore the minds of my classmates. The Shakespearian class still proved to be the bane of this existence. After spending hours surrounded by smelly, sweaty adolescents Bella's divine scent attacked me with renewed vigor. It took every ounce of my concentration to sit still for those fifty long minutes. Thankfully, by then the scent morphed from overpowering to pleasantly appealing. _A bouquet selected just for me._ Although I wasn't restraining myself to my Biology chair, the class was still difficult to get through. Bella was studious in her disregard of me. Not once did she acknowledge my presence or even glance in my direction. It was beyond frustrating.

Keyed up and irritated I would march off to the football field where, thanks to my forged paperwork, I was finally able to participate in practice. The drills and plays were far from challenging, but I found a challenge in keeping my super-human abilities under control. I was still the best player on the team—I honestly wouldn't be able to stand being second to a human—but I strove to be just _little_ bit better than the others. I was proud of my restraint; my performances were nearly human.

After practice I would walk home in the rain. I'd scrape the food from my plate onto the plate marked 'Charlie' and then wash the dishes that Bella had left in the sink. After finishing my homework I would return to the piano in hopes of luring the Temptress down from her lair. I was always unsuccessful; nothing I played was moving enough to bring Bella downstairs.

Thursday night I hunted again and gorged myself. Thus far, there hadn't been any injuries on the field, but I wanted to be well fed in case something happened during Friday night's game.

_Wouldn't be good if I ate the team. _I chuckled to myself as I dressed for school. The Chief's coffee was already brewing, which meant he would make an appearance within the next five minutes. I retrieved the damp newspaper from the front porch and greeted Chief Swan as he staggered down the stairwell.

"Good morning, sir." The Chief nodded behind a yawn and poured himself a cup of coffee. He winced as the scalding hot liquid ran down his throat, but already the coffee seemed to be working its magic.

"Morning, Edward." The Chief said behind his cup. He took another large gulp and addressed me. "Is that your jersey?"

I looked down at my clothing and the horrendous golden yellow and navy jersey that I was being forced to wear. "Yes sir, it's Game day, the whole team is supposed…"

"I know that." He interrupted, "I meant, is 6 really your number?"

"Yes sir."

Chief Swan pondered it for a moment before smiling widely and setting down his half-empty cup. "Come on, you need to know something if you are going to wear _that_ number."

I followed the Chief back into the front room to a bookcase next to the fireplace. Swan ran his fingers along the spines of several odd-sized books before pulling out one. As he opened it a scraps of newspapers floated down to the floor. I quickly retrieved them for him.

"Just what I wanted…" The Chief said with a proud smile and pointed to the bold title at the top of the newspaper clipping, _Forks High Swan Song: The Spartans Advance to the State Finals._ "The _one_ and _only_ time Forks made it to the Championship bracket was my senior year."

Swan fumbled with the book, which I recognized as a yearbook, until he came to a full page picture of a football player escaping a tackle. The player wore the number six.

"They used to call me the 'Swan Song'." Chief chuckled as he admired the picture. "Some said that watching me on the field was a beautiful thing. I always thought I was given the nickname because _no one's_ streak or accomplishment survived me. I was the swan song to their success, the end of their achievements."

"I was damn good." He voice swelled with pride, "I broke the league's rushing yards record twice and I still hold the state record for Yards Rushed in a season. We went undefeated my Senior year; Washington State offered me a full ride to play for them."

The corners of his eyes pinched slightly at that recollection.

"Did you play for them too?" I asked, very curious as to why such a memory would bother the Chief.

"Nope." He stumbled with his thoughts before finally speaking, "More important things arrived—I had a _real_ life to start."

Chief cleared his throat and shut the yearbook with a snap. "Coach Barns graduated a year behind me and he's kept _that_ number," he said, pointing to my chest, "on the shelf for a reason. Small town people don't forget things and their expectations rarely change. If you wear that number, you wear it with pride and you wear it to _win_."

Chief Swan's face was hard, his eyes intense. Momentarily I was overwhelmed, as if he had placed a great burden on my shoulders. I cleared my head quickly and stood straighter, "It is my _honor._" I said simply.

A small snort escaped from behind me. I turned to see Bella leaning against the banister at the bottom of the stairs. I had been so wrapped up in the 'Swan Song' story that I hadn't heard her come downstairs. She pushed herself upright and walked into the kitchen, mumbling under her breath.

The Chief clapped his hand across my shoulder and shrugged. "Girls will just never understand sports."

I chuckled and nodded in agreement, "No sir, it is just beyond them."

Bella emerged from the kitchen now, clutching a steaming mug that smelled of hot chocolate. "Dad, your trip down memory lane is going to make you late." Her tone was serious, but her eyes danced with happiness.

"Right," the Chief crossed the room and bounded up the stairs, taking them two at a time. He was lighter on his feet, as if his memories eased the effects of time.

Bella shook her head at her father and then turned back towards me. I stood at attention as she inspected me. Her face and eyes revealed no more than her silent mind. I ached to know what she was thinking, to have a clue as to what was passing through her mind, but she gave me nothing. Instead, Bella retreated up the stairs and into the bathroom, sealing the door with a firm _click_ from the lock.

I didn't see Bella again until she joined me in the musty cab of her truck. I was really beginning to hate this vehicle. Not only was it obnoxiously loud and rode incredibly rough, but because the silent moments spent in it were full of tension. I tilted my head back against the rear window and tried not to count the seconds as they passed by.

I was pulled from my bitter thoughts as a soft laugh emitted from the driver's side. I opened my eyes to find a small smile gracing Bella's face.

"What's funny?" I asked softly as Bella giggled again. She looked over at me only to laugh a little more.

"What?" I prodded. I couldn't stand not knowing what was so amusing to her, especially since this sound was one I'd like her to repeat.

"Nothing." Bella said as she took in deep breaths, obviously trying to calm herself down. The silence didn't last a moment more before Bella again burst into a fit of giggles.

I turned in my seat and stared. "Are you going to share the joke?"

Bella wiped at her eyes and mashed down on her lower lip. She glanced over at me for only a second before pinching her lips together to restrain the laughs. We pulled into the parking lot with Bella still struggling to keep in her laughter. Now that we were safely parked, I wasn't about to let Bella escape without explaining what she found so amusing.

The truck shuddered to a stop as Bella killed the ignition. I wasn't going to be ignored. As she reached for her bag, I wrapped my fingers around her small wrist. She gasped softly, but I was more distracted by the jolt of electricity that seemed to run up my arm as I touched her. Bella turned to me with big, wide eyes and her heart began to pick up speed.

I knew my touch was unnaturally cold and I didn't want to scare her, so I softened my eyes as I stared into hers. "Bella, what was so funny?" I asked in my gentlest voice, the one reserved to charm women.

Bella's heart sputtered and her pupils dilated slightly before she took in a shaky breath. We sat in silence for several moments, her pulse racing beneath my fingers. I stared relentlessly, willing Bella to open up and speak to me again.

"Bella." Her name fell from my lips as a soft plea. A breath shuddered in her frame and her lids fell heavily.

Bella wet her lips and was just about to speak when the cab echoed with several quick bangs. Bella jumped at the sound and I released her wrist before she was could hurt herself in my hands. I grabbed my backpack and shouldered it as I opened my door. The pounding continued as that wretched little girl banged her fist on Bella's door.

"I'm coming Jess." Bella said from within the truck cab, although I'm sure her words were too soft to be heard by Jessica. I felt Bella's stare as I quickly retreated to the nearest building. The noise of the busy hall made hearing anything from outside impossible, forcing me to spy on Bella through Jessica's mind. _I really hate having to stoop to Jessica's mind._

"Bella!" Jessica exclaimed as Bella finally opened her door and staggered out. Bella was beautifully flushed and her breathing was still shallow and rapid. _**Jeez, what did he do to her?**_Jessica thought as Bella wobbled on her feet. Jessica's mind ran wild with images of a steamy make-out session. The thought caught me by complete surprise and my toe snagged on the edge of a locker, denting the corner and causing me to stagger for a moment. Few noticed my stumble and I for once I was thankful _no_ one from my family was here. _Vampires don't trip._ I would never hear the end of it; the teasing from Emmett would be relentless.

I imagined, more realistically, how it would be to hold Bella like that. To feel the soft, warmth of her flesh in my hands and against my chest. Her frantic heartbeats would echo through my hollow chest as her scent enveloped me. I'd wrap her in my arms, tangling my fingers in her long silky hair. _But how would Bella react?_ The egotistical side of me believed she'd reciprocate and melt under my touch. But I couldn't truly believe that. _I am still more monster than man._

I pulled myself from my bitter thoughts and retreated back to Jessica's simple mind.

"Are you okay?" She asked Bella rather rudely.

Bella shook her head slightly and then nodded. "Yeah, I just," Bella cleared her throat and took a deep breath, "So what's up?"

"What time do you want us girls to come over?" Jessica prodded, skipping over any causal conversation and getting right to the point.

"Huh? Oh, I completely forgot to ask my Dad." Bella's eyes pinched and she looked anywhere but at Jessica. "I'm not sure it will happen this weekend."

Jessica tried to control her disappointment, but her mind was reeling with all her plans that would not be coming to fruition. I was relieved to hear Bella _wouldn't_ be having other girls over for the night, especially after witnessing what Jessica had in mind for _me._ _Did she honestly think I'd welcome her advances?_ I hadn't done anything to encourage that kind of behavior.

Jessica's mind shifted as Mike Newton walked up. I smugly noticed that the hideous yellow jersey made him look jaundice. Jessica was too shallow to observe anything past how his "arms were bulging".

"Hey Bella," Mike said, consciously flexing his pathetic muscles. He didn't catch her eye roll, but I did.

Bella nodded an acknowledgment and continued on her path to her locker. Jessica was much more receptive to Mike and eagerly jumped in to give him all the attention he desired. I was thankful I could leave her mind.

Another of Bella's friends appeared at her locker. "Good morning, Bella." She spoke softly as she pushed her glasses up her nose.

"Hi, Angela." Bella replied with an honest smile. "What's up?"

"I was wondering if you were going to the game tonight." Angela started hesitantly and held up her camera, "I've got to take pictures for the yearbook and wanted to make sure someone would save me a seat."

"Absolutely!" Bella said with a smile. "Actually, I could use company. Charlie is always so involved in the game… I don't usually have anyone to talk to."

Angela nodded in understanding and started flipping through the settings on her camera. "Now I just have to figure out the right adjustments… There must be something I can do to make the school colors more flattering."

Bella barked out a laugh. "Have you seen Edward in his jersey, yet?"

"No, why?"

"From his face this morning, I would gage that it was _painful_ for him to wear such a hideous color!" The two girls giggled to themselves and I couldn't help but smile with them. _It is a horrid thing to wear._ I thought as I readjusted the jersey on my shoulders.

"Well, I've yet to see anyone make mustard yellow look good." Angela said as her laughter died.

"It must really hurt him," Bella eyes shifted around, as if she were looking for me, "to be a stunning god living among the homely."

Bella's words struck me to the core. _Was she affected by my appearance?_ I knew how everyone else viewed me. I had been subjected to too many mental assaults as girls, women, and even some men, 'checked me out'. I was attractive—I could admit that honestly and without vanity. I could avoid it more than I could ignore my thirst.

But the thought of _Bella_ being affected by me—even if it was just by my looks—_that_ was something. Perhaps, I could, and should, use it to my advantage. The lack of direct Bella conversation, although I had experience just a little of it in the first place, was already wearing on my mind. I couldn't explain it, but I _craved_ interaction with her.

Angela and Bella said their good byes as the warning bell sounded. I too retreated to my first period class, but kept a connection to Bella through other students' minds. Friday proved to be exactly like the days before, except for the short 'pep-rally'. I normally skip all such rallies—hundreds of sweaty children crammed in a noisy gym isn't exactly my thing—but Coach sought me out before hand and requested I sit by him during the rally.

The mental attack was painful. The rally leader introduced each 'star' player—placing me at the top of the list and the center of attention. I could practically feel their eyes on me, but there was one set of eyes that I knew were not focused on me. Bella. It didn't take long to find her tiny frame and chestnut hair. Her hair was, once again, shielding most of her face—the rest was covered by a worn paperback. My smile came naturally, she was predictably, unpredictable—I knew of no other high schooler who would read during a rally. I spent the remaining time watching Bella's eyebrows lift and her forehead crinkle as she reacted to her story of novel. It was the best entertainment I had found since moving here to Forks.

Class, lunch…. Cue the punishment: Shakespeare and AP Bio. Bella's book, which seemed to be held together with duct tape and a prayer, made an appearance as we sat and waited for Biology to begin.

"What are you reading?" I asked, peering over her shoulder.

Bella looked up and back away slightly, this was the closest we had been and I could literally see her sweet blood pulsing beneath her milky skin. She returned her nose to her book, stirring the air with her bouquet. My fingers flinched momentarily, but I remained perfectly still. Intentionally, I breathed deeply. The fire burned, yet I was more aware of the stirring deep within me. With only her scent Bella enthused feelings in me I had yet to experience… I sat heavily, never having felt so… human.

With perfect timing, the bell rang and Mr. Banner jumped into his introduction. Today was a lab. _Perfect, she'll have to at least acknowledge my existence to complete the lab._ I thought happily as I reached for my textbook and pencil. Bella sighed heavily, inserted her bookmark and stared defiantly at the tabletop. Once we had received our paperwork, microscope and slides, I wasted no time in opening up the conversation.

"Oh, cell identification and recognition of cell parts." I said, reading the title aloud, "Well, this should be fun."

Bella snorted beside me but gave no other comment. Instead, she busied herself with the slides, her fingers shaking slightly as she put the first one under the microscope and adjusted the magnification and focus. She studied the cells for only a second before turning to her paper and scribbling down an answer.

I felt the growl building within me—she really wasn't going to speak to me!? I dragged the microscope loudly and roughly to my side and glimpsed at the slide. _Plant cells._ I recognized them instantly and began writing my own description in the space provided. Given that Bella was still writing, I reached across for the second slide. Bella didn't flinch at my close proximity. Instead, she followed my hand with her eyes, releasing a held breath once I was out of her personal space. Her heart pumped furiously and her checks and ears began to redden, but I didn't smell fear on her. That was positive—wasn't it?

We continued the lab in awkward silence, the microscope scrapping back and forth between us. I don't know if she noticed, but each time I pulled the machine a bit closer to me, requiring her to come closer to retrieve it. By the last slide, she was out of her seat and standing at my side. The heat radiating from her was glorious. As was the view as I watched her examine the last slide. It was adorable the way her face puckered in concentration. I, once again, found myself smiling.

Her eyes caught mine as she retreated from the microscope. "That wasn't too painful, was it?" I asked sweetly, lathering on the charm as I had this morning in her truck. Her reaction was quite opposite as she glared at me and dove for her book.

_Damn._

I wasn't as good as I thought. I vented my frustration with a loud sigh and slumped back in my stool. It looked like my uphill battle back into Bella's good graces was just beginning and I couldn't see the end in sight.


	7. Game Changer

**Happy Pi day (3.14)! To celebrate, I am sharing the next chapter. It is game time! I very much enjoy Football, but I know not everyone shares my passion. Hopefully my descriptions are clear enough w/o requiring too much football knowledge/lingo on your part. If you know nothing about the greatest sport ever-just understand this: Edward is trying to get the ball past the other team and across the goal line. Simple enough. :) Enjoy -Raca**

Chapter 7: Game Changer

The smelly locker room was loud and buzzing with pre-game anticipation. Our opening game versus Hoquiam High School was to start in less than an hour and already the team was suited up and ready to play. I knew Hoquiam well, the home of the Grizzlies, the Crimson and Grey—Rosalie, Emmett and I had attended there in the thirties. The memories shuffled through quickly and I was struck by memory I hadn't touched in years.

Large wolves, their hackles standing on end atop shoulders that even Emmett could not see over. Two wolves, a grey and a rusty-tan, flanked a Quileute man whose stature was equally as impressive. They were uncomfortable, to speak in understatements, that they were outnumbered. We were lucky we had come across them as a complete coven and even luckier that time was wearing on their leader. Carlisle was diplomatic and honest about our lifestyle and offered to set up a treaty. The Quileutes were much more hesitant, especially since my eyes were still tarnished from my recent rebellion, but they agreed.

_What of the treaty now?_ I thought to myself. I knew the treaty lines—they ran along the borders of the reservation—but I was now on the North end of the reservation, and honestly, much closer than before. Venom pooled and I instantly grew more aware of my surroundings. _Was it possible that the wolves would still be alive?_ The old Chief, Ephraim Black, was concerned with his age as well as his 'pack' size. Although, he didn't seem to even be 30, he spoke with authority and rationality of a man twice his age. It wasn't likely that he would still be alive—but I didn't know enough to rule it out completely. _Tonight I'll run the line. If there are any wolves, I'll surely be able to smell them out._

Coach Barns began barking orders and pulled me from my thoughts. Soon, the team was on the field, blocked up and ready for stretches. I positioned myself in the middle of the team, but still felt the searching eyes.

_**Edward…Edward…Edward… ah! Number 6. Dang, that boy is flexible!**_ Came the thoughts of one of the cheerleaders standing on the track. I quickly worked to distract myself from the mental onslaught. And with the change in the breeze, came the perfect distraction.

My Temptress was coming up the track, bundled in a ridiculously huge letterman sweater, mittens and beanie. Her hair flew wildly from underneath the beanie and I could just pick up the strawberry scent of her shampoo. My eyes narrowed at the sight of the sweater. I had seen ones like this before, but I was confused as to what sport _Bella_ could letter in. Surely she wasn't wearing one of her _classmate's _sweaters_. _Weren't lettermen _jackets_ the style now? Bella, flanked by her father, turned to climb the bleachers and the name _Swan_ was easily seen across her shoulders. The bold number 6 on the sleeve revealed the true owner—it was Chief Swan's letterman sweater.

Relief poured over me followed closely by pride. Bella was wearing number 6—I was number 6. Chief Swan sat just off the 50-yard line and Bella fumbled around with the multitude of blankets she was carrying. She arranged one on the bench and then quickly draped the other across both of their laps. The Chief raised a brow of disbelief, but then nodded a silent thanks to his daughter. I watched as they talked and laughed with their neighbors until our stretches were completed and we had to begin warm-ups. Pre-game melted into the pep talked, the Star Spangled Banner, the coin toss and then, I was standing at the sidelines, awaiting my chance to play.

Hoquaim chose to receive, which was horrid for me—it was almost painful to watch our defense play. Most of the line played both ways, meaning they were good at neither. On second down and two, the Grizzlies quarterback fell back and delivered an easy bomb to the in-zone. I was itching to also play corner and be more useful for my team—but I knew that tackling high school athletes was not a good idea… it could be bone-crushingly bad.

Finally the extra point was kicked and the offense took the field. Mike shouted off a play and at "hike" all hell broke loose. The cornerback tried to block me at the line and throw off the timing of the play, but I barely noticed his hit. I completed my route just as Mike broke a tackle and lobbed the ball. It was a horrible throw, a wobbly mess coming slowly in my general vicinity. The safety took note and started at me, trying to intercept the pass.

"Not today." I growled as I pushed off the ground and met the ball in the air. The safety arrived as I landed, but my straight-arm threw him to the ground. Only the other safety stood between me and the goal line. With a smile, I ran at him, juked with a spin and was at the line far ahead of anyone else.

The Forks sideline and stands erupted in cheers and the band struck up the fight song. Mike came running at me and jumped as to bump chests. I dodged, feigning I didn't see and ran back to sideline. I was received with shouts and taps on my helmet from my teammates. It was surprising rewarding, I wasn't used to this kind of positive attention. With a successful extra point we were all tied up at 7 and there was barely 4 minutes off the clock. Coach sent on special teams and went over to give our defense a quick pep-talk.

The quarter continued on much the same. Our defense would eventually break down and the Grizzlies would score. I'd take the field and in one or two downs, we would be tied once again. Hoquaim did their best to double cover me, but I still got through. Once they moved the third guy on me I told Mike to let Taylor run on the opposite side and we gained 30 yards. It then appeared like we had a running game and their defense couldn't focus on just me. It was better this way, I told myself; too much attention on a vampire (even if they were 'playing human') was never good.

At the start of the second quarter I retreated to the bench after a 65 yard run to the inzone. I exaggerated my breath, hoping no one would notice it didn't make steam as it escaped my lungs. Instantly my attention was directed to the stands.

"Hey, Bella!" A boy's voice called out.

"Jake!" Bella replied with the same excitement as the boy. "What are you doing here?"

"Ah, looking for a seat. Can I sit with you?"

"Yeah, I think…" her voice faded and I saw the crowd shift to fit in the new addition.

"Jacob." Chief acknowledged the boy as he shuffled past.

Finally everyone seemed settled. Bella expanded her blanket to now cover the knees of Jacob. I bristled slightly.

"So really, what are you doing here?" Bella asked. She studied his blank face for a moment before throwing up her hands, "You're here to spy on the team!"

The boy laughed easily, "It's not considered spying when _anyone_ can buy a ticket." Jacob looked over the field and then up to the scoreboard. "I believe the technical term is 'scouting'. And why would I be here to scout? Forks hasn't been up to Quileute standards for _years_."

My ears burned and my muscles tensed at the mention of the Quileute tribe.

"Only because you're all giants." Bella replied, "Seriously, there has to be something in the water… did you grow again?"

"Yep." The boy puffed out his chest. "I'm nearly 6'3", now."

At that moment, Angela climbed the bleacher stairs. "Angela!" Bella called out, waving her hands to signal her friend. "Scoot over Jake. Dad make room for Angela."

Angela shuffled down the row to the Swans. "Angela, do you remember Jake?" Bella asked conversationally as they all readjusted seats and blankets.

"Yeah, Jacob Black, right?" Angela replied.

I turned then, unintentionally, towards the stands. Jacob _Black_. I looked the boy over and was discouraged to see the thick, heavy brow that furrowed just as Ephraim Black's had. The deep set eyes and jawline were also uncannily similar. Unquestionably, they were of relation. I stood, perhaps too quickly, and surveyed the entire stadium. If the boy knew about me, he would not have come alone. My lungs opened further as I caught the wind, waiting for a familiar stench.

"Cullen!" Coach cried, waving his arm, "Get on the field!"

Running reluctantly to my position, I barely registered the snap or even my catch. Thankfully I stopped running when I went out of bounds near the goal line. My mind was everywhere else but the game. First down and goal, Mike tried a quarterback sneak but was snuffed at the one yard line. Second and third downs were also stopped. Coach called a timeout and we gathered around him.

"Okay men," He started as I rolled my eyes at the term—these were _boys_. "Wildcat. Taylor: take the snap. John and Mike: you guys act as fullbacks. Sweep right. Taylor: you see a hole, you hit it… you don't see one—then lateral to Cullen. Ready? Break!"

The team jogged back to the line of scrimmage. The new formation caused the Grizzlies to shuffle and the ball was snapped. The flag flew and whistles blew: Offsides on the Grizzlies. They placed the ball at the half yard line.

Now ready for us, the Grizzlies seem to sense that I was getting the ball and I found a second person standing in front of me. I smiled broadly and the two were momentarily stunned with fear. Taylor received a dirty snap and sees nothing but bodies. In a rushed and frantic move, he takes two steps towards me and laterals the ball. By now, my defenders are somewhat back in their own minds. One dives at the ball, the other at me. The ball is tipped up and I stretch, catching it in one hand before falling on my back in the in-zone.

There is a collected gasp and then a louder roar from the crowd as I leap up, ball still in hand.

"And an _amazing_ catch for the Spartans! Edward Cullen on the touch down!" calls the announcer over the PA.

My eyes climb up to Bella's as I jog back to the bench. Her smile is tight as she claps weakly.

"Cullen?" Jacob asks, "Hey isn't that the guy living with you?"

Bella nods. "Game changer at my service." She whispers to herself.

"Well, he's got nice hands." Jacob comments, finally deciding to clap for the extra point.

Bella stares at him, "How would you know?" She asks and I practically laugh aloud.

The Quileute does laugh, "No Bells, it means he's a good ball handler. You know, he caught that one-handed on an off-balanced lunge…" He waited for some kind of understanding to sweep over Bella's face, "That's actually really hard to do!"

"Oh, right." Bella mumbled.

Jacob laughed loudly and then stage whispered to Bella "Does he have nice hands?"

"Jake!" Bella cries as she gives the Chief a sideways glance. "I have no idea what you are talking about—when have I _ever _understood sports lingo?"

The whistle sounds for half-time and the team retreats to the locker room. The tight room was even more uncomfortable as I gazed around, waiting to find a new, russet face scowling at me crying "vampire!" No such thing happens, but I don't relax—I _couldn't_ relax until I knew where I stood with the Quileutes and with the wolves.

The second half differed from the first in only one way: our Defense actually stopped the ball and made the Grizzlies punt—twice. We went up two touchdowns and the final score read Spartans 49, Grizzlies 35. The students and crowd poured onto the field, congratulating everyone in Gold and Navy. I spilled my water on my hair as I removed my helmet to make my hair match those of my sweaty teammates. I didn't think I'd be able to breath in the locker room—not with _this_ smell.

"Edward!" Chief Swan called out from Coach Barns' side. I wove my way towards them, locking eyes with Bella and ignoring how the boy stood straighter.

"Chief, Coach, good game." I said, shaking hands with them and receiving several compliments in return.

"Yep, Charlie," Coach started as the rubbed his hands together; "You knew it will be a good year when I pulled out our _true_ numbers."

Coach eyed my jersey and Chief nodded in understanding. "The boy and I," he started, stretching to put a hand on my shoulder, "Have already discussed the expectations. And I must say: he's living up to my reputation."

My grin nearly reached my eyes, till I saw Bella roll hers. I turned my attention to her as she tried to wrap herself better in her father's sweater. The boy cleared his throat and motioned to shake my hand.

"Good game." He said.

"Thanks." I replied dryly as I took his hand and gave him a _real_ handshake. He almost covered over his flinch, just as I almost hid my grin.

_**Jeeze, his hands are cold. Damn, he's strong.**_ Jacob flexed to squeeze my hand harder. I looked him in the eye and took a subtle sniff. _**Creepy eyes—nearly cat-like.**_

"Jacob, this is Edward Cullen, the boy living with us." Bella said when she realized the Chief and Coach were deep in conversation of the 'glory days'. "Edward, this is my best friend, Jake."

"Pleasure." I said, releasing him. I smiled slightly as he flexed his hand. The smile quickly faded as he laid his arm casually over Bella. Conscious or not, she leaned into his side. "I don't think I've seen you around school."

"Nope, I live down on the rez." He offered as way of explanation. "But we're in the same league; we'll see you later in the season."

"And in the playoffs." I added. Jacob nodded slightly, not wanting to completely agree with me.

"Cullen!" Coach yelped, "Hit the showers."

"Yes, sir." I called and turned back to the conversation. "Jacob, I'll see you sometime, on the field. Bella," My eyes softened and her blush reappeared, "If I don't get to see you: good night."

I turned and started jogging to the locker room. "Bella! If I don't…" Jacob started in on a bad impression of me.

"Shut up, Jake." Bella sighed in exasperation and turned to march off the field.

After showering as quickly as possible, I grabbed my gear and started for the Swan residence. I was just exiting the parking lot when police lights flashed. I turned to see the Chief pulling up in his cruiser.

"Get in, Cullen." He called out through the window. "Are you hungry? The café stays open late on game nights. It will probably be packed, but they've got great burgers."

"No thank you, sir." I replied warmly as I buckled my seatbelt. "I think I'd rather just go to bed."

Chief nodded. "Must be exhausted from the game—it was impressive. Probably best anyway, we wouldn't want the entire town buying your dinner."

I smiled at the thought and glanced around for Bella. "Chief, where's Bella?"

"Oh, Jake was going to drop her off, he just finished rebuilding a Volkswagen Rabbit." He scratched at the stubble grown in from the day. "Darn kid is not even 16 yet… I'll need to talk to Billy 'bout that."

I filed that piece of information and the name 'Billy' in my mind with my other Quileute knowledge. The boy didn't smell like the wolves had and the name 'Cullen' hadn't brought up any thoughts of a treaty or anything along those lines. And although he did notice many of my peculiarities, they didn't send up any warning flags. Perhaps Chief Ephraim Black was a more distant relative. Perhaps the wolves had died out, leaving the treaty void. Perhaps they'd be waiting for me at the Swans…

I cracked the window slightly and took in all the passing scents. Nothing seemed out of ordinary. The intensity in the cruiser grew to uncomfortable levels. My mind jumped quickly around the surrounding minds, but didn't find any wolfish thoughts.

I _was_ attacked by the simple thoughts of Jacob Black. _**Hmmm, best lasagna ever…**_ I could hear him groan aloud as we pulled into the drive. "Bella, I swear, one of these days I'm going to kidnap you—just so you can cook for me!"

Bella laughed, "Jake, I'm not marrying you. And you already know you can come raid our fridge whenever—I don't understand how we could have so many leftovers!"

Jake choked on his food. "Ah, right. I said _kidnap_. Unless…" He wagged his eyebrows suggestively.

"Both seem like entrapments to me…" Bella said as she turned back to the fridge. "I've got a ton of stew still. Want me to heat it up?"

Jacob hummed back a reply as he continued to shovel food into his mouth. Simply witnessing it through his mind was disgusting. At last the cruiser came to a stop and I found myself walking directly to the kitchen.

"Jake! Don't forget to breathe!" Bella laughed as she placed a steaming bowl in front of the boy.

"Sure, sure." Were the words I think he said—it was hard to tell with all the food in his mouth.

Bella sighed and leaned back against the counter, a smile spread across her face as she continued to watch Jacob stuff his face. Jealously flared immediately in my mind. _I _wanted her to smile at _me_, not at this overgrown child. Instantly I found myself in the kitchen. The light air of the room evaporated when they both noticed my presence. Bella cleared her throat and pushed off from the counter.

"Want me to heat you up some leftovers, Edward?" This was the first time she'd addressed me since our lunchtime spat. Her eyes flitted between me and Jacob.

Jacob sat, hunched over his food, a bite left forgotten with the spoon still hovering in midair. His mind was full of unease. It was a natural reaction, but he didn't understand his instincts and he tried to lighten the darkness that seem to hang in the air.

"Dude, I don't know how you aren't putting on the weight." He evaluated my slim build and was put off by my unnatural tone. "If _I _had Bells cooking for me, I'd blimp up."

Having lost his appetite, Jacob put his spoon down and pushed his bowl back. "Jeeze Bells," he shoved away from the table and patted his bulging belly, "Don't poke me; I might pop like a gorged tick."

Bella barked out a laugh and made to jab at him. Jacob easily caught her hands and held them both within one of his paws. He lifted them high above her head and Bella squirmed to be freed.

"You'll pay for that Swan!" He said as he lifted his free hand.

A growl rumbled from my chest and the room froze in silence. Jacob looked around to find the source while Bella stared at me. I cursed inwardly. Bella was _too_ observant and I was becoming too reckless around her.

"All right kids." The Chief said, entering the kitchen and sitting in front of Jacob's discarded bowl. "Take the tickle party somewhere else. There's some delicious stew waiting for me and I don't want to be jostled."

One of Bella's hands slipped free and she attacked Jacob's vulnerable side. He squealed like a girl and released her. Bella added her own squeal to the air as she fled the room, rushing past me and almost tripping over the living room rug. She laughed as she flopped down on the couch and cried "Safe!"

"You're sneaky cheat!" Jacob called out.

He made to go after her when the Chief cleared his throat. "Jake," he called with authority; "Do you have a date to get your license yet?"

Jake stiffened and turned. "No sir, no yet." He scratched at the back of his head. "But I don't need one on the rez."

The Chief grunted and pushed the soup around in his bowl. "Don't let any my boys find you driving without a license. That's a misdemeanor and one I'm not likely to overlook."

"Yes sir." Jacob's head fell.

"Alrighty, glad that's settled. Now, it's getting late, so you best be getting home." The Chief took a large bite in dismissal.

Jacob turned and squeezed past me, trying his best to keep his distance. He didn't make eye contact. Bella still sat on the couch. Her smile fading more as Jacob headed for the door.

She met him at there. "Thanks for coming by, Jake."

"Sure, sure." He turned to her and wrapped her in a hug. "Lifetime of servitude includes acting as human garbage disposal. Obviously pasty doesn't appreciate your cooking."

"Jake!" Bella shushed him and looked wearily over at me. "That was rude."

Jacob laughed at my expense and pushed open the door. "Bells, he makes you look tan."

Bella stood at the door, disapproval in her stance, but laughter in her eyes. She watched his poor excuse of a car drive off before shutting the door. Her eyes met mine and her forehead creased slightly. It was now, more than ever that I wanted to know what was going through her mind. Bella studied me with such intensity, her gaze held me captive.

The loud clattering of the Chief's bowl in the sink broke her stare. Bella walked past me quickly to get to her father.

"Don't worry about the dishes, Dad." She patted his shoulder and then pushed him away to take over the washing. "I'm sure you need to hit the sack so you can get up to fish."

The Chief backed away awkwardly and rubbed the back of his neck. "Actually, I was planning on staying home tomorrow."

Bella's eyes darted between me and her father. She scowled at him, but he spoke before she had the chance. "We aren't supposed to get any rain tomorrow and that Sitka spruce needs to be taken down before it falls on the house."

"Edward," Chief turned to me, "I'll need your help tomorrow. The spruce on the east side of the house is dying and ready to become firewood. I sure hope you know your way around a chainsaw."

I couldn't help but smile. _I don't need a chainsaw to take out a tree._ But that wasn't common knowledge. "Yes sir, I've used a one before."

"Good." Chief yawned deeply and headed for the stairs. "Sleep in like good kids and we'll start work at 8."

With her father gone, Bella sped up her washing. I plucked the dish towel from her shoulder and started drying the stack. She watched me from the corner of her eye. I tried for nonchalant, but I couldn't get my stance to relax correctly.

Bella's hair was still restrained beneath her beanie. The soft curve of her exposed jawline and the long column of her neck were beautiful torture. I tried to match my breathing to hers, but found myself needing more. Bella's sweet perfume teased the monster and set my throat aflame. But, somewhere deep within, it was wonderfully soothing. As I continued to breathe my stance began to relax and my tumultuous thoughts began to settle. I nearly jumped when Bella suddenly spoke.

"Your mood swings could give someone whiplash." She said, handing me the final dish and studying me boldly.

I smiled and shrugged my shoulders. "I have no idea what you mean by that."

"Happy and contented Edward suddenly turns stormy and furious. Furious morphs into pain or, I don't know, sadness?" She thought for a moment. "No, not sadness, more like extreme misery and all-consuming grief. And did you just _growl_ at Jacob?"

I plastered my useful 'blank' face on and gave her another dismissing shrug. I was not comfortable with where this conversation was going, but at least Bella was speaking to me again. _How does she see me so clearly? _"Bella…"

"Don't _Bella_ me." She squared her body and crossed her arms. "Seriously, are you bi-polar? Did daddy not send your meds with you?"

I couldn't catch the laugh as it escaped. And then turning to Bella only made it worse. She stood with such authority and confidence. Really, her thought was absurd but this situation was even more bizarre. _How did she come to that conclusion? _One laugh flowed into another until I found myself bent over, gasping for unnecessary air.

"I've been accused of many things, but I can assure you I'm not bi-polar." It was an uncomfortable statement to make. How many times had I struggled with my polarities? Monster or man—my eternal battle within myself. I regained control over my breathing, but my words did nothing to convince Bella of my mental status. At least, that what her stance and firm face told me.

"I don't see why you are upset at me." I said, trying to turn this conversation around. "You haven't even spoken to me in days. And now you want to talk 'feelings'?"

"How did you do that?" Bella asked, completely ignoring my conversation bypass.

"Do what?" I ask innocently.

"Growl, I've never heard someone make a noise like that."

"Have you had your eyes and ears checked lately?" I asked as I started to put away the clean dishes. "Cause, I think you're seeing and hearing things."

"You seem to be really good at redirecting conversation." She said cheekily. "I've heard you use it on others."

"Stalking me, are you?" I asked with a grin & lifted brow.

"You're doing it again." She tapped her foot softly, waiting for an honest reply from me.

"I don't know what you want me to say." I spoke with honesty and could hear the surrender in my own voice. Without insight into Bella's mind, I had no idea what to say or how to react. I was, for the first time in my immortal life, flying blind. It was disconcerting. Add conflicting, and rather confusing, emotions to my mental blindness and I was one 'messed up' guy. I couldn't remember having ever felt so much like a seventeen year old human.

"The truth would be nice." Bella signed and rubbed her forehead. In that instant she seemed so much older than her eighteen years. I grieved to think that I was adding to her anxiety.

"With proper support, breathing exercises and just lowered humming, anyone can growl." It was a rather sterile delivery, but I simply didn't have the will or desire for an elaborate explanation and obviously my attempts to redirect weren't working.

"And you just go around, growling at complete strangers?" Bella laughed at the obscurity that was essentially the truth.

I continued to put the dishes away and tried to keep causal. "It hasn't failed me yet."

Bella laughed again. It was a wonderful sound, light and warm. It put a ridiculous grin on my face—the messy crooked one that Emmett says makes me look stupid. Stupid looking or not, Bella reached out and grasped my forearm.

"Teach me." She said mischievously. The twinkle in her eyes was on the verge of wicked… and I couldn't help but like it.

"With great power, comes great responsibility." I paused for affect. "What would you do with such a power?" While I spoke I found myself getting closer and closer to Bella, till our faces were level.

"I'd growl at Newton and send him running."

Of all I expected to hear, those words were nowhere on my list. I threw my head back in a laugh. "Well, that is an endeavor I can support!"

"Alright, first thing is breathing and support. Stand up straight and lengthen the spine." My hands grasped her arms gently as I helped her into a proper posture. She didn't recoil from my touch. I 'thought' it was helpful, but honestly I wanted to see if air word hum as it had before. I wasn't disappointed; the air seemed to buzz with energy whenever I was close to her.

I mirrored her posture and put my hands on my stomach. "Now, breathe deep down into your stomach. Expand the 'v' of your waist into a barrel shape. This will contract the diaphragm fully and give you the support you need. It is just like singing: sing from the diaphragm, growl from the diaphragm." And with an exaggerated breath I contracted my vocal chords and let out a low, but soft, growl. It wasn't an impressive growl but a playful one, one I usually reserved for Alice and her scheming.

A shiver ran down Bella's back, but her smile remained. "That is awesome."

She placed her own hands on her stomach and took an incredibly large breath before I cut in.

"Wait!" I interrupted, "I didn't tell you what to do with your voice. That's the tricky part. It is like humming, only it is the lowest humming you can do."

Bella nodded, breathed deeply and released a sound like that of a ram being strangled. We stared at each other for a brief moment before erupting in laughter.

"That was _awful_!" Bella exclaimed, wrapping a hand at the base of her throat. "And it kinda hurt. Is it supposed to hurt?"

"No, I don't think so. Perhaps you just need practice." I smiled gently, hoping Bella wasn't too disappointed, or hurt. "If it means anything… that did sound something like a grunge or heavy metal group."

Bella laughed to herself, "Somehow, I don't think 'hard core' Bella would scare off Mike."

"I could." The words slipped out the moment I thought them. Bella's surprised face sent me back-peddling. "I've scared away hundreds of guys for Alice and Rosalie. It wouldn't be the first time I' ve defended a woman's honor."

"Ha!" Bella laughed without humor, "No thanks, I'd rather not be the 'damsel in distress'."

"The offer is there," I murmured quietly, "whenever you feel the need."

"Sure, sure."

I was repelled by her response. The words and cadence matched Jacob Black's perfectly. I was about to question her when the phone rang.

"Hello?" Bella answered.

"_Bella, hey, it's Jake." _I heard Jacob reply from the other end of the line. _"Uh, this is going to sound weird, but my dad really wants to talk to the Cullen guy."_

I felt myself stiffen. _Obviously 'Cullen' was a name that was remembered—at least by the older generation._ I was not comforted by this thought, nor did I want an audience for this conversation.

"Uh, okay." Bella held out the receiver to me, "It's for you."

I put on my best 'confused' face and took the phone. "Hello?"

"Hold on." The voice on the other end was rough, mature and definitely _not_ Jacob Black's. "Jake, go out to the garage and get the next thing of fish. I want them to thaw in the fridge overnight." The words were muffled, as if the speaker had covered the phone with his hand.

"Do you have any witnesses still in the room, Cullen?" The voice was back and addressing me with a tone that was inauspicious.

"Yes." I tried to keep my voice free from emotion. Bella stood at the sink, watching me closely.

"Do you know a Carlisle Cullen?" His voice squeaked at the name.

"Yes."

There was a heavy sigh, "Then meet us at the northern treaty line, a mile east of the highway at midnight. We weren't expecting you to return and the treaty must be discussed."

"I wasn't expecting to either, but I understand your concern." I hesitated and chose my next words carefully. "I'll be there, ready to play by the rules."

I heard footsteps on the other end and the line went dead. I hung up the phone and was met by the expectant stare of Bella.

"Well, I better get some sleep if I'm going to be any help to the Chief tomorrow." My words were light, but my tone was too dark.

"What was that all about?" Bella asked, taking a step to the side and blocking my escape.

"Oh," I had better control of my tone and I smiled gently, "Jacob's dad was just sizing me up. You know small town sports—everyone is worried about the competition and everyone _knows_ everything about the other team."

Bella eyed me with disbelief and then snorted, "Boys. It is just a _game_."

She shook her head and returned to the sink, picking at the dish cloth. I was relieved that she took my explanation so easily. The stove clock read 11:13; I didn't have time for a more convincing story.

"I'm off to bed." I spoke perhaps too loudly and quickly retreated to my room. Bella fiddled around the kitchen for a few more minutes before finally heading upstairs. I didn't have time to wait for her to fall asleep. Instead, while the water ran in the bathroom, I slid the dresser in front of my bedroom door and slipped out the window.

It was time to face the wolves.

**So, how many of you tried to growl? Be honest-you know you wanted to. I did a little research on people growling: if you'd like some intertaining and all so 'useful' videos-check out youtube. :) But seriously... the growling Edward creates, in my mind, is NOTHING like the sound you, or any of the bes****t death metal growlers, can make. His is animatistic and I believe would have a wide range of tones & meanings. **

**Oh and what of the treaty!? We shall find out... Please click below & give me a piece of your mind. Reviews are read & appreciated!**


	8. Treaty Lines

**Greetings. This chapter took a while. I struggled with the meeting for a week & then ended up reading half of New Moon & Eclipse before I felt like I had a better grasp of the pack. It was nice to know that the books still capture me-although Bella gets more annoying with each re-read. She is so much cooler in my mind! I hope you don't find my Bella annoying. :) I'll stop rambling... Enjoy -Raca**

Chapter 8: Treaty lines

I ran a mile from the house before making the call.

"Edward!" Alice answered frantically, "What are you about to do?! I can't _see_ you Edward… I can't!"

"Alice, relax." I skidded to a halt, "What do you mean you can't see me?"

"I saw you decide to call, but I can't see why or what is going to happen." She took a deep breath, "Edward, I can't see past this conversation… and I'm not exactly sure how long this talk is even supposed to last."

Alice's blindness sent my thoughts reeling. "Please put Carlisle on the phone, Alice."

"Edward," Carlisle's voice was full of apprehension, "What decisions have you made recently? Alice is beside herself in concern."

"I received a phone call from the _Blacks_ and was asked to meet with them to discuss the treaty."

_Surely the wolves wouldn't destroy me… but if Alice sees no future for me, does that mean one doesn't exist?_

The pause from Carlisle was too long. Even though I could not hear his mental voice through the phone, I knew what he was thinking. His thoughts matched my own.

"Certainly… it would be rather bold of the tribe to attack you, Edward." As he continued to speak, his faith in the human race grew more evident. "We've never had an altercation with the tribe. And opening communication with them is the best path to ensure a peaceful relationship."

"_Carlisle—I still can't see him!"_ Alice was growing more frantic in the background.

"Alice, it could be that we don't know the future because it hasn't been determined yet. The Quileutes are probably still as doubtful of their future was we are of Edward's." Carlisle paused for a breath, "Edward, approach this with utmost caution. At the first sign of a problem—run. Be thankful for your gift and use it to your advantage. If things start to fall apart head straight for the ocean and come home. They shouldn't be able to follow or track you through the water. We will pack now and be ready to leave in case it comes to that. We can leave the country for a few decades—just escape all of this _mess._"

"_No!" _Alice cried in the background, _"No, Edward __**has**__ to stay… Bella…"_

"_Alice!"_ Another voice hissed; it sounded like Esme.

"I have confidence in your discretion, Edward." Carlisle continued, "I know that, if it _is_ possible, you will be able to convince them of a continued, peaceful co-existence."

There was a silent moment filled with unease. "Son, they are still _humans_—still full of life that should be revered."

I sighed heavily and caught my head in my hands. "Humans with the ability to destroy me—or at least that is what we were led to believe."

"The situation is far from desirable. But out of _anyone_ in this family, you are the best prepared and equipped for this. Keep it honest and diplomatic. They fear you more than anything."

"I know."

"And call us as soon as the meeting is over. If we don't hear from you by two, we'll know to leave. We will meet you at Chandris Cove. I pray it doesn't come to that."

_You pray Carlisle; no god would listen to me._

"I hope to speak with you soon, then." I whispered, trying to sound confident.

"Be safe, Edward."

"Thanks, goodbye." I gently closed my phone. I had said goodbye to my family more times in the last week than I had in the last decade. We never ended a conversation with 'goodbye', it was always: 'until next time', 'see you soon', or even 'we'll talk about this later'. I would have happily said any of those, but I had no confidence in those words. _I have little confidence in my future._

With those dark thoughts, I ran to meet my destiny. Somehow it felt as if I were running away from it. As I approached the treaty line, I curved east. I gave the line a wide berth until I was struck by an all too familiar smell. _Werewolves._ The trail was fresh and potent. It set my entire body on alert and my mind pushed to find any close thoughts.

Their thoughts came to me long before my ears could hear them. There were three: two older men and young, restless boy. It took a minute for me to distinguish the fact that the boy wasn't currently in his human form. _How can he shift when the moon is still in the Gibbous phase?_ It seemed to also bother the men that the boy was 'phased'. It complicated the situation and made it impossible for him to clearly communicate with the humans.

_**Sam, just growl and point in the direction that he's coming from. **_The oldest man said to the wolf. Sam replied with a grunt.

I was nearing them now. The wind was in my favor and I could just make out the sweeter scents of the older men. From their smell alone, I was positive that they were only men and their worried thoughts gave confirmation to my assessment. This boy was the _only_ wolf.

Sam paced behind the men. His mind repeated the same series of pictures. He had been living in Seattle, studying and working towards his degree. Apparently a rogue vampire decided to spend some time in the city and the proximity to this vampire started a chain reaction in Sam. He was alone the first time he phased—terrified and dismayed that he couldn't shift back, Sam ran home to his people. The elders knew immediately what had happened. They calmed Sam enough that he returned to his human form, but even as a human his moods were volatile and dark. After telling their history to the boy again, they sent him back to Seattle to finish the job. Sam's favorite memory was the crunch and final snap of decapitation of the rogue vampire.

_**Leaches must be destroyed. Protect the people. Destroy the leaches.**_ Was the repeating phrase in Sam's mind. He knew of the treaty, but he was full of anger and fear. The battle with the rogue had not been clean. Sam suffered serious injuries and had only barely won. He feared that I, with the backing of an entire group of vampires, could easily overpower him and destroy his people's only guard. The weight of guardianship was heavy on his shoulders.

The wind shifted and carried my scent down to the dog. He froze and crouched, growling a warning. His mind dropped every thought except those pertaining to me. Natural instincts took over as he stepped forward to shield the men that were with him.

Time seemed to no longer be on my side. I walked at a more human pace and found myself at a small clearing. The oldest man stood, his frame nearly coming to the shoulder of the wolf while the other was confined to a wheelchair. It wasn't the gathering I had expected. Age and worry lined the faces of the men. Each placed a hand on the trembling figure between them. Sam's stance and mind did not relax, but his growling faded into silence.

_Full of life that should be revered._

Carlisle's words rang in my mind as their frailty struck me. Despite the beast, I knew what I needed to do—I would renew the treaty and keep the peace. Not for my safety, nor because they had a powerful tool at their disposal, but for the sake of humanity and the purity they sought to protect.

"Carlisle Cullen sends his greetings and regards. He was pleased to hear that you were willing to meet with me to discuss the treaty." I started simply, hoping that their thoughts would better guide my words.

"Where is he… and the rest of the coven?" The oldest man asked, his eyes leaving me to search the surrounding forest.

"They are in Alaska." I cleared my throat, "A misstep by the government removed me from them and placed me here."

"And you simply left." The man in the wheelchair, who looked much like the late Ephraim Black, asked. I recognized his voice from our phone call—this was Billy Black, Jacob's father.

I smiled without teeth, "It seemed like the path of least resistance. Despite what you naturally believe, we prefer a peaceful existence—one free from governmental involvement, if possible.

I cleared my throat and started again, "The coven still agrees to and is willing to maintain the terms of treaty. And we would like to add the names of our newest members."

Sam growled deeply at this. _**He wants to allow more filthy, bloodsucking murderers to prance around our home?! Ridiculous!**_

"More?" Black voiced the disbelief that ran through Sam's mind.

"Yes, we had two more join us in the fifties. They believe in our lifestyle and adhere to its limitations."

"And how well are you following it?" Black asked pointedly, "your eyes weren't so clear the last time you were here."

"The Quileute have a good memory." I gauged their reaction carefully and proceeded with caution. "I had _just_ returned to Carlisle when we chose to move to the Olympic Peninsula. And I _was_ still tainted by the blood of my rebellion, but I haven't relapsed or hurt any human since. I pose no threat to the people living here."

Sam snorted in disbelief, his mind shouting angry thoughts at me.

"The situation is different. You aren't living with your _kind_." Black's voice was hushed, he honestly and rightfully feared for the lives of the Swan family. "You are in the middle of town, attending a _public_ school and playing football! How can you be so careless?"

It was my turn to growl. "You are in no position to question me."

Several tense moments ticked by and I regained control over my temper. "The situation is far from ideal, but it isn't anything I can't handle. I feel no need to further defend my case—if I felt I couldn't maintain my control, do you honestly believe I would be _here_? It would be much easier to disappear for a decade or two, but that wasn't the path we chose."

More silence followed as the men internally debated. The older man absently stroked Sam's shoulder while Black fiddled with the roll of paper on his lap. I recognized the paper as the treaty document.

"And how would we recognize the newest members of your coven?" The third man asked.

"The wolves knew us before by scent. But none of them remain, do they?" I had given up enough information; it was time for me to receive some.

Although they didn't speak, their minds flew to the previous 'pack'. Black pictured his father, not as I knew him, but as an old man, grey and worn in years. In the background of his mind he replayed the one, and only, time he saw his father phase. He had only been a boy, but the memory was unforgettable. The other man had no memory of wolves, only of their lives as men. He had not truly believed the stories until Sam bounded through his yard.

"We have a younger pack, now." Black said carefully. His mind flitted over Sam and then through a set of boys, Jacob being one of them. Sam was the only wolf _now_, but Black was certain that with my presence, the other boys would follow suit and begin phasing. "But only one needs to smell you for all of them to know."

I tilted my head at this new piece of information. I was curious to know how that worked, but their thoughts revealed nothing else.

"My family all shares similar characteristics, the most notable being our eyes. Our eyes are always shades of gold."

Black nodded his head and began to unroll the treaty. "And what of these new vampires? Why should we include them when they are not even here?"

"The Quileute have a good memory and this area is an ideal location for us to settle every century, or so. Should we decide to return, it would be as a _complete_ coven."

"Harry?" Black addressed the other man and then spoke in a liquid language. It was one I wasn't fluent in—most likely it was their native tongue. I hoped their minds would translate their words, instead their thoughts shifted into the same language. Even Sam's mind changed and offered up no translation.

Finally their debate ended and the silence returned. Sam gently took the treaty in his mouth and took several large steps forward. He eyed me cautiously as he laid the treaty on a mossy rock before slowly stepping back to his place between the men.

"As Elders of the Quileute tribe, we have already signed our dedication to the protecting the people." Harry, as I now knew to call him, motioned to the document. "Sign your name and those of the Cullen coven."

I sped to the rock at _my_ pace. I had what I wanted—the treaty was intact… now I needed to instill a little healthy fear. I signed all seven of our names with a flourish and was back at my original place before the men truly registered my movement. Sam acknowledged it with a fierce growl.

"I'll happily never come this close to the treaty lines again." I gave a slight bow and made to leave.

Black suddenly called out. "And you'll quit playing football."

I turned back to him with questioning eyes.

"We don't want you playing against our boys." Black spoke boldly, as if he had authority over this. "It wouldn't end _well_."

I snickered to myself. He was concerned that my presence would reveal their secret and that I could trigger a massive phase among the boys. There seemed to be little warning before the first phase.

"Not confident of the boys' control?" I asked lightly. I knew they had no phasing boys of high school age—at least not _yet._ But I as thought on it, I honestly didn't want to be in their presence either.

"You can't come to the game—it is on our territory." Black tried a slightly different angle in hopes to keep me away.

"I'll uphold the guidelines set by the treaty. You have my _word_ on that."

And sensing that nothing else useful was going to be said, I fled into the forest. I heard the collective sigh of the men as I disappeared.

I quickly dialed my family.

"Edward." Carlisle answered at the first ring. "Are you safe?"

"As safe as the treaty allows."

"So it still stands." He sighed in relief, "Deus clemens est."

"I also took the liberty to add Jasper and Alice to the treaty. Although, I don't believe we should ever return here."

"Smart thinking, son. But I agree: it seems as if the Olympic Peninsula is lost to us."

"The Quileute believe it is actually the presence of vampires that causes their men to shape shift."

"Do they?" Carlisle was quiet for a moment, "They are a fascinating people. Were you able to get any other useful information?"

"They have new Elders and only _one_ wolf… at least, there is only one _now_. He is still very new to it, but successfully destroyed a rogue in Seattle."

"If you continue to stay in Forks, there is a possibility that the number will grow." I could hear murmurs in the background—apparently everyone was present for our conversation.

"I don't like this situation, Edward. But Alice says our case will not wrap up for at least two more months."

I groaned heavily at this new information. _Two months could feel like eternity_. I was already approaching the house. I could hear the Chief's snores and see Bella's light still on. I was very curious and rather nervous that she was still up.

"Alice has her sight back?" I asked bitterly.

"So it seems. I wonder if her temporary blindness is related to the Quileute tribe."

"Can she see what is about to happen?" The last thing I wanted was another confrontation with Bella.

"She says you haven't decided to go in or not, so she can't see past you climbing the spruce."

"Helpful." I replied sarcastically. "Guess I'll have a better perspective from the spruce."

With a leap, I was on the third large branch of the tree and directly in front of Bella's window. I could hear the gentle pulsing of Bella's heart. I pulled myself higher up the tree to allow a clear sight into her room.

"Carlisle, I am going to go now. Since the treaty remains, it seems as if life can continue on as normal." I spoke as if I knew what 'normal' was. But, despite the moments of torture, this past week was perhaps the most 'normal' week of my existence. Being here, in Forks, living in the Swan home was the most unnatural and strangest situation I could imagine. Yet, I had found a peace here. There was an acceptance and silent understanding I had never had with any other human.

_They are accepting only of what they know—not of the truth._

The thought stung, but rang true. They would never accept me if they knew what I was and what I was capable of.

"Be safe, my son." Carlisle pulled me from my thoughts.

"Until next time." I replied and hung up.

I was perched just outside Bella's window. She lay on her stomach, stretch over the bed and hunch over her worn book. Her fingers fisted in the wire of her headphones as she angrily fingered through her book. With a disgusted sigh she snapped the book closed and pushed it off the bed. Her face fell into her pillow.

"Edward!" was her muffled cry into her pillow—the frustration in her voice struck my heart, "You were easier to hate when I couldn't see any redeemable qualities."

I was touched by her words. Could Bella possibly see _anything_ worthy in me? Our little exchange tonight was incredible. The growling lesson was ridiculous, but it felt right. It was amazing to share something with her—to share a piece of me… the _real_ me with Bella. And even more incredible was her reaction! Not once did she shy away or show any signs of fear.

_Who doesn't cower with a vampire growling in their face?_ Perhaps I was losing my touch.

Sighing loudly, Bella turned onto her back. She rubbed her eyes and yawned deeply. She rolled again, retrieved the book and flipped through the pages before settling on one with a creased corner.

"It is not time or opportunity that is to determine intimacy it is disposition alone. Seven years would be insufficient to make some people acquainted with each other, and seven days are more than enough for others."

"Ha," Bella laughed to herself, "seven days is certainly long enough to become completely confused!"

She shook her head, as if to clear her mind and placed the book on her nightstand. Bella turned off her lamp and settled under her covers. It didn't take long for her breathing to lengthen and then fall asleep.

I recognized the line Bella had so appropriately chosen. Marianne said it in reference to Willoughby and their instant connection. I had never really enjoyed Sense and Sensibility, but perhaps it was that I simply had never _understood_ it.

I remained in my perch until the sun began its battle with the clouds in the east. My mind warred with itself and this situation I was in. This was like nothing I had experienced before. I could play human; I had successfully played the roles of student, employee, son, brother and many more. None of those roles felt like what I was currently experiencing.

Tomorrow would mark only the sixth day that I had been in Forks—barely a blink of an eye for a vampire—but already I had a strong pull, a clear desire to remain here. Deep within me I could easily identify the reason. I was staring at her small, sleeping form. But I didn't understand my feelings in the least bit.

I retreated down the tree and through the window to my room just as the forest began to awake. The Chief said today would be a work day. I was hopeful that that work would include Bella—I knew our relationship, however new, needed work.


End file.
